ESTIMATION OF MERCURY-SULFIDE SPECIATION IN SEDIMENT PORE WATERS USING OCTANOL-WATER PARTITIONING AND IMPLICATIONS FOR AVAILABILITY TO METHYLATING BACTERIA

摘要

The octanol-water partioning of inorganic mercury decreased with increasing sulfide, supporting a model that predicts decreased fractions of neutral Hg-S species with increasing sulfide. These results help explain the decreased availability of Hg to methylating bacteria under sulfidic conditions, and the inverse relationship between sulfide and methylmercury observed in sediments.