Ethylmercury
Encyclopedia
Ethylmercury is a cation composed of an ethyl group
bound to a mercury(II)
centre; its chemical formula is C
2H
5Hg
+. Ethylmercury is sometimes used as a generic term to describe organomercury
compounds which include ethylmercury such as ethylmercury chloride and ethylmercury urea.
Ethylmercury is one of the metabolites of thiomersal
, which is used as a preservative in some vaccines. Thiomersal is the ethylmercury-releasing compound sodium ethylmercuric thiosalicylate, C9H9HgNaO2S, which is made from the combination of ethyl mercuric chloride
, thiosalicylic acid
, sodium hydroxide, and ethanol
.
Unlike methylmercury
, ethylmercury has not been found to bioaccumulate. The toxicity of ethylmercury is not well studied - exposure standards based on methylmercury (such as those currently recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency) are not demonstrated to be equivalent for ethylmercury.
Ethyl group
In chemistry, an ethyl group is an alkyl substituent derived from ethane . It has the formula -C2H5 and is very often abbreviated -Et.Ethylation is the formation of a compound by introduction of the ethyl functional group, C2H5....
bound to a mercury(II)
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
centre; its chemical formula is C
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
2H
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
5Hg
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
+. Ethylmercury is sometimes used as a generic term to describe organomercury
Organomercury
Organomercury refers to the group 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 cation, CH3Hg+; ethylmercury cation, C2H5Hg+; dimethylmercury, 2Hg,...
compounds which include ethylmercury such as ethylmercury chloride and ethylmercury urea.
Ethylmercury is one of the metabolites of thiomersal
Thiomersal
Thiomersal , and commonly known in the US as thimerosal, is an organomercury compound. This compound is a well established antiseptic and antifungal agent....
, which is used as a preservative in some vaccines. Thiomersal is the ethylmercury-releasing compound sodium ethylmercuric thiosalicylate, C9H9HgNaO2S, which is made from the combination of ethyl mercuric chloride
Mercury(II) chloride
Mercury chloride or mercuric chloride , is the chemical compound with the formula HgCl2. This white crystalline solid is a laboratory reagent and a molecular compound. It is no longer used for medicinal purposes Mercury(II) chloride or mercuric chloride (formerly corrosive sublimate), is the...
, thiosalicylic acid
Thiosalicylic acid
Thiosalicylic acid is an organic compound containing carboxyl and sulfhydryl functional groups. Its molecular formula is C7H6O2S; it is soluble in water, ethanol and diethyl ether, and slightly soluble in DMSO and ligroin. Thiosalicylic acid is used to make the vaccine preservative thiomersal....
, sodium hydroxide, and ethanol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
.
Unlike methylmercury
Methylmercury
Methylmercury is an organometallic cation with the formula . It is a bioaccumulative environmental toxicant.-Structure:...
, ethylmercury has not been found to bioaccumulate. The toxicity of ethylmercury is not well studied - exposure standards based on methylmercury (such as those currently recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency) are not demonstrated to be equivalent for ethylmercury.
External links
- ATSDR - ToxFAQs: Mercury
- ATSDR - Public Health Statement: Mercury
- ATSDR - ALERT! Patterns of Metallic Mercury Exposure, 6/26/97
- ATSDR - MMG: Mercury
- ATSDR - Toxicological Profile: Mercury
- National Pollutant Inventory - Mercury and compounds Fact Sheet
- Pediatrics article on thiomersal Full text of peer reviewed medical journal. Sarah K. Parker, MD, Benjamin Schwartz, MD{ddagger}, James Todd, MD and Larry K. Pickering, MD. Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines and Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A Critical Review of Published Original Data. PEDIATRICS Vol. 114 No. 3 September 2004, pp. 793–804
- Anapsid.org - 'Common Sources of Ethylmercury: Products containing ethyl mercury thiosalicylic acid as a preservative', compiled by Melissa Kaplan