Determination of Methylmercury Compounds in Foodstuffs. II. Determination of Methylmercury in Fish, Egg, Meat, and Liver.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The combined gas chromatographic and thin-layer chromatographic method for the identification and determination of methyl-mercury compounds in fish has been modified in order to render it applicable to a wider range of foods. In animal foodstuffs methylmercury is probably to a great extent attached to thiol groups. When these foods are extracted according to Gage, methylmercury chloride is formed and dissolves in the benzene together with varying amounts of thio compounds. Purification of the methylmercury in the benzene extracts of e.g., egg yolk or liver by extraction with aqueous alkali solution did not work, probably because the thio compounds were not volatile and could form alkali-insoluble methylmercury salts. Evidently methylmercury-S-compounds were reformed at high pH and prevented the formation of the water-soluble methylmercury hydroxide. Addition of excess mercuric ions, which expelled the methylmercury from the thio compounds, solved this clean-up problem. Samples of fish, egg-white, egg yolk, meat, and liver have been analyzed with the modified method. Extraction of the methylmercury into an aqueous phase was also possible with the aid of a water solution of cysteine. This led to a more rapid analytical procedure.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: