Ethylmercury

Ethylmercury (sometimes ethyl mercury) is a cation composed of an organic CH3CH2- species (an ethyl group) bound to a mercury(II) centre, making it a type of organometallic cation, and giving it a chemical formula C2H5Hg+. The main source of ethylmercury is thimerosal. Ethylmercury (C2H5Hg+) is a substituent of compounds: it occurs as a component of compounds of the formula C2H5HgX where X = chloride, thiolate, or another organic group. Most famously X = the mercaptide group of thiosalicylic acid as in thiomersal. In the body, ethylmercury is most commonly encountered as derivatives with a thiolate attached to the mercury. In these compounds, Hg(II) has a linear or sometimes trigonal coordination geometry. Given the comparable electronegativities of mercury and carbon, the mercury-carbon bond is described as covalent. The toxicity of ethylmercury is well studied. Like methylmercury, ethylmercury distributes to all body tissues, crossing the blood–brain barrier and the placental barrier, and ethylmercury also moves freely throughout the body. Risk assessment for effects on the human nervous system have been made by extrapolating from dose-response relationships for methylmercury. Estimates have suggested that ethylmercury clears from blood with a half-life of 3–7 days in adult humans; however, this area has not been well studied. Thimerosal and vaccines Concerns based on extrapolations of the effect of methylmercury caused thimerosal to be removed from U.S. childhood vaccines in 1999, but it remains in use in all multi-dose vaccines and flu shots (though many single use vaccines without thimerosal are available). Researchers have argued that risk assessments based on methylmercury were overly conservative in light of observations that ethylmercury is eliminated from the body and the brain significantly faster than methylmercury. Moreover, the same researchers have argued that inorganic mercury metabolized from ethylmercury, despite its much longer half-life in the brain, is much less toxic than the inorganic mercury produced from mercury vapor, for reasons not yet understood.

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Mercury (element)

Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver and was formerly named hydrargyrum (haɪˈdrɑrdʒərəm ) from the Greek words hydro (water) and argyros (silver). A heavy, silvery d-block element, mercury is the only metallic element that is known to be liquid at standard temperature and pressure; the only other element that is liquid under these conditions is the halogen bromine, though metals such as caesium, gallium, and rubidium melt just above room temperature.

Organomercury chemistry

Organomercury chemistry refers to the study of organometallic compounds that contain mercury. Typically the Hg–C bond is stable toward air and moisture but sensitive to light. Important organomercury compounds are the methylmercury(II) cation, CH3Hg+; ethylmercury(II) cation, C2H5Hg+; dimethylmercury, (CH3)2Hg, diethylmercury and merbromin ("Mercurochrome"). Thiomersal is used as a preservative for vaccines and intravenous drugs. The toxicity of organomercury compounds presents both dangers and benefits.

Dimethylmercury

Dimethylmercury ((CH3)2Hg), also known as mercury dimethanide, is an extremely toxic organomercury compound. A highly volatile, reactive, flammable, and colorless liquid, dimethylmercury is one of the strongest known neurotoxins, with a quantity of less than 0.1 mL capable of inducing severe mercury poisoning resulting in death, and is easily absorbed through the skin. Dimethylmercury is capable of permeating many materials, including plastic and rubber compounds.

Response Mechanism of Anion-Selective Electrodes Based on Mercury Organic Compounds as Ionophores

New mercury organic compounds with 1-3 metal centers and different substituents were synthesized as anion-selective ionophores. They were incorporated into solvent polymeric membranes, and the selectivity, slope of response, response time, emf repeatabilit ...

1996