Estimation of mercury-sulfide speciation in sediment pore waters using octanol-water partitioning and implications for availability to methylating bacteria

Janina M Benoit; Robert P Mason; Cynthia C Gilmour

doi:10.1002/etc.5620181004

Estimation of mercury-sulfide speciation in sediment pore waters using octanol-water partitioning and implications for availability to methylating bacteria

Environ Toxicol Chem. 1999 Oct;18(10):2138-2141. doi: 10.1002/etc.5620181004.

Authors

Janina M Benoit^{1

2}, Robert P Mason¹, Cynthia C Gilmour²

Affiliations

¹ The University of Maryland, Center for Environmental Studies, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, P.O. Box 38, Solomons, Maryland 20688, USA.
² The Academy of Natural Sciences, Estuarine Research Center, 10545 Mackall Road, St. Leonard, Maryland 20685, USA.

PMID: 29857640
DOI: 10.1002/etc.5620181004

Abstract

The octanol-water partioning of inorganic mercury decreased with increasing sulfide, supporting a model that predicts decreased fractions of neutral Hg-S species with increasing sulfide. These results help explain the decreased availability of Hg to methylating bacteria under sulfidic conditions, and the inverse relationship between sulfide and methylmercury observed in sediments.

Keywords: Bioavailability; Mercury; Methylation; Methylmercury; Partitioning.