Investigation of Analytical Method for Alkylmercuric Compounds in Fish and Shellfish without Use of Benzene and Toluene as Extraction Solvent

• Published in: BUNSEKI KAGAKU Vol. 61; no. 10; pp. 857 - 862
• Main Authors: NISHIMURA, Kazuhiko, HIRAMA, Yuji, YAMAGUCHI, Hiromi, TAKAHASHI, Tetsuo, KATSURA, Eiji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: Tokyo The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry 2012; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: fish shellfishes; GC/MS; methylmercury; sodium tetraphenylborate
• ISSN: 0525-1931
• DOI: 10.2116/bunsekikagaku.61.857

The concentrations of methylmercury (MeHg) and ethylmercury (EtHg) were determined in fish and shellfish. Both MeHg and EtHg were isolated by acid leaching (KBr-H2SO4-CuSO4); MeHg and EtHg bromides were extracted into an organic solvent [cyclohexane/ethyl acetate (1 : 1)], then reextracted into 1% cysteine-sodium acetate. MeHg and EtHg bromides were derivatized with sodium tetraphenylborate (NaBPh4), and extracted with hexane. The organic phase containing methylphenylmercury and ethylphenylmercury was injected into GC/MS (SIM). As a result, even if we did not use benzene or toluene for the extracting solvent, it became possible to extract MeHg and EtHg well. The performance evaluation results, trueness (%), repeatability (RSD%) and reproducibility within the laboratory (RSD%), were MeHg 106.4, 8.9, 12.1 and EtHg 87.4, 8.3, 7.6, respectively. It was shown that the method satisfies the performance criteria set by Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.