Determination of Mercury in Biologic Materials

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Abstract
Organic material is removed by digestion with nitric and sulfuric acids while, at the same time, Hg is converted to the divalent form. In this acid soln., Hg combines with dithizone to form a yellow-orange complex that is soluble in chloroform. The Hg-dithizonate complex, plus any uncombined dithizone, is estimated colori-metrically; the Hg complex is destroyed by an acid-KI reagent and then the total uncombined dithizone is detd. The difference between the 2 readings is a measure of the Hg dithizonate and hence a quantitative measurement of the Hg present in the sample. As little as 0.2 [mu]g. of Hg can be detected; a detn. can be completed in 1 hr.; the samples required may be as little as 2 ml. of blood, 2 g. of tissue, or 5 ml. of urine or gastric content; the use of acid KI gives a sharp end-point for the reaction and eliminates interference by practically all other metals that react with dithizone at a pH of less than 1.

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