Ethylmercury

Ethylmercury (sometimes ethyl mercury) is a cation composed of an ethyl group and a mercury atom; its chemical formula is C₂H₅Hg⁺. The term 'ethylmercury' is sometimes used as a generic term to describe organomercury compounds which include ethylmercury such as ethylmercury chloride and ethylmercury urea. The CAS registry number for ethylmercury chloride is 107-27-7.

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Ethylmercury is one of the metabolites of thiomersal, which is used as a preservative in some vaccines. For this application, the ethylmercury salt sodium ethylmercuric thiosalicylate is used. Thiomersal (C₉H₉HgNaO₂S) is made from the combination of ethyl mercuric chloride, thiosalicylic acid, sodium hydroxide and ethanol.

Unlike methylmercury, ethylmercury has not been found to bioaccumulate.^[1] The toxicity of ethylmercury is not well studied, but exposure standards based on methylmercury (such as those currently recommended by the EPA) are not demonstrated to be equivalent for ethylmercury.^[2]

References

1. ^ http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/thimerosal.htm NIAID Research on Thimerosal
2. ^ http://www.ehponline.org/press/042105.html Thimerosal, Methylmercury React Differently in the Brains of Infants, Study Says. Environmental Health Perspectives April 27, 2005.

See also

• Salicylic acid
• Dimethylmercury related compound
• Methylmercury related compound
• Thiomersal controversy for discussion of controversy over use in vaccines