Occurrence of monoethylmercury in the Florida Everglades: Identification and verification

A few studies have reported the occurrence of monoethylmercury (CH 3CH 2Hg +) in the natural environment, but further verification is needed due to the lack of direct evidence and/or uncertainty in analytical procedures. Various analytical techniques were employed to verify the occurrence of CH 3CH...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental pollution (1987) 2010-11, Vol.158 (11), p.3378-3384
Main Authors: Mao, Yuxiang, Yin, Yongguang, Li, Yanbin, Liu, Guangliang, Feng, Xinbin, Jiang, Guibin, Cai, Yong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis methods
Applied sciences
Biological and physicochemical properties of pollutants. Interaction in the soil
Cycles
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics
Environment
Environmental impact statements
Environmental Monitoring
Everglades
Exact sciences and technology
Florida
Isotope tracer
Isotopes
Mathematical analysis
Mercury
Monoethylmercury
Occurrence
Organomercury Compounds - analysis
Pollution
Pollution abatement
Pollution, environment geology
Soil
Soil (material)
Soil - chemistry
Soil and sediments pollution
Soil Pollutants - analysis
Wetlands
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Summary:A few studies have reported the occurrence of monoethylmercury (CH 3CH 2Hg +) in the natural environment, but further verification is needed due to the lack of direct evidence and/or uncertainty in analytical procedures. Various analytical techniques were employed to verify the occurrence of CH 3CH 2Hg + in soil of the Florida Everglades. The identity of CH 3CH 2Hg + in Everglades soil was clarified, for the first time, by GC/MS. The employment of the recently developed aqueous phenylation-purge-and-trap-GC coupled with ICPMS confirmed that the detected CH 3CH 2Hg + was not a misidentification of CH 3SHg +. Stable isotope-tracer experiments further indicated that the detected CH 3CH 2Hg + indeed originated from Everglades soil and was not an analytical artifact. All these evidence clearly confirmed the occurrence of CH 3CH 2Hg + in Everglades soil, presumably as a consequence of ethylation occurring in this wetland. The prevalence of CH 3CH 2Hg + in Everglades soil suggests that ethylation could play an important role in the biogeochemical cycling of Hg. A combination of various analytical techniques and stable isotope tracer experiments confirms monoethylmercury is present in Everglades soil.
ISSN:0269-7491
1873-6424
DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2010.07.031