Abstract
Methods for extraction of methylmercury compounds from samples containing sulfide were studied. In solutions containing sulfide, methylmercury compounds gave bis-dimethylmercury sulfide, and the latter could not be changed easily to methylmercury chloride in 1 N hydrochloric acid solution and could not be transferred to the glutathion or cysteine solution from organic solvents. But bis-dimethylmercury sulfide in solution was changed completely to methylmercury chloride by the addition of cuprous chloride, mercuric chloride or silver chloride into the solutions, and methylmercury chloride could be extracted by the glutathion or cysteine solution. By the addition of cuprous chloride into the solution containing sodium sulfide and methylmercury chloride, methylmercury chloride was quantitatively determined by gaschromatography with an electron capture detector. But mercuric chloride had the same retention time to that of methylmercury chloride on the gaschromatogram, and the peak height of the mixture of methylmercury chloride and mercuric chloride was higher than the sum of each peak height of methylmercury chloride and mercuric chloride on the gaschromatogram. Silver chloride inhibited the acitivity of the gaschromatography for methylmercury chloride. It is proposed therefore that samples containing sulfide should be treated with cuprous chloride and then with organic solvents and glutathion solution in the order.
