Abstract
Mercury exist in urban atmospheres in several chemical forms. To date very little research has been done to identify the chemical forms and concentrations of this very toxic element in the atmosphere. A gold screen-tube furnace collection system was designed to collect various mercury compounds from atmospheric samples. The concentrations of the following mercury compounds were obtained by varying the sampling flow rate and positioning of the gold screens in the collection system: 1) elemental mercury vapor; 2) collective value for the light-weight organomercurials such as dimethyl and diethyl mercury; 3) collective value for the other unidentified mercury compounds; and 4) total atmospheric mercury. Specific organic mercury compounds were collected in diethyl ether solutions and analyzed with a tandom gas chromatographic-mercury specific flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometer. As little as 0.01 parts per billion by volume of dimethyl mercury in the solution could be detected by this technique.
Rawlings, Gary Don (1974). Identification and measurement of the major chemical forms of mercury in urban atmospheres. Doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -172616.