Mercury(II) chloride (also called mercuric chloride and corrosive sublimate) is a poisonous white soluble crystalline sublimate of mercury. It is used in insecticides, preservatives, and batteries; as an antiseptic, disinfectant and fixitive; and in metallurgy and photography. Mercuric chloride is one of the most toxic forms of mercury.

Production

Mercuric chloride is prepared by reacting mercury with chlorine gas or by subliming a mixture of mercuric sulfate and sodium chloride (common salt).

Applications

As a photographic intensifier mercuric chloride produced positive pictures in the collodion process of the 1800s. When applied to a negative, the mercuric chloride whitens and thickens the image, thereby increasing the opacity of the shadows and creating the illusion of a positive image (Towler, 1864).

The preservation of anthropological and biological specimens during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Objects were dipped in or were painted with a mercuric solution. Objects in drawers were protected by scattering crystalline mercuric chloride over them (Goldberg, 1996).

Syphilis was frequently treated with mercuric chloride before the advent of antibiotics. It was inhaled, ingested, injected and applied topically. Poisoning was so common that its symptoms were confused with those of syphilis (Pimple, 2004).

Mercuric chloride is used in the manufacture of calomel, chemical reagents, metallurgy, tanning, as a catalyst for vinyl chloride and in electroplating. Wood was preserved by kyanizing (soaking in mercuric chloride) begining in 1848 (Freeman, 2003).

Toxicity

Mercuric chloride is highly toxic and corrosive. Once absorbed into the bloodstream, inorganic mercury combines with proteins in the plasma or enters the red blood cells. It does not readily pass into the brain or fetus but may enter into other body organs. The liver is a major site of metabolism for mercury, and all mercury absorbed from the stomach and intestine is carried in blood directly to the liver. It accumlates in the kidneys, and may cause severe damage. Poisoning can result from inhalation, ingestion, or absorption through the skin.

Inhalation may result in corrosive bronchitis, interstitial pneumonitis , and death. Systemic effects following inhalation exposure may include shock, renal disorders, and central nervous system effects characterized by lethargy and neurobehavioral effects (insomnia, loss of memory, excitability, etc). Chronic exposure to low levels of vapor may result in central nervous system effects including fatigue, tremors, and gingivitis. As exposure increases, the frequency and magnitude of muscle tremors increase and are accompanied by personality and behavioral changes (memory loss, excitability, depression, and hallucinations).

Ingestion may cause severe gastrointestinal irritation, renal failure, and death with acute lethal doses in humans ranging from 1 to 4 g. The toxic effects are usually evident within 10-15 minutes of ingestion. Death can occur within 24 hours, resulting from shock, renal damage, severe gastrointestinal damage or kidney failure. Chronic symptoms include increased salivation, bleeding gums and loosening of the teeth.

Dermal contact with mercuric chloride may cause dermatitis and neurological effects. Acrodynia occurs in children and is characterised by a generalised body rash. Other symptoms include swelling and irritation of the hands, feet, cheeks and nose, hair loss, irritability, insomnia, and profuse perspiration which may lead to dehydration. Chronic exposure through absorption is usually the result of regular applications of topical ointments containing mercuric chloride.

See Also

corrosive, mercury(I) chloride

References

• Agency for toxic substances and disease registry. (2001, May 25). Toxicological profile for Mercury. Retrieved on April 17, 2005.
• Freeman, M.H. Shupe, T.F. Vlosky, R.P. Barnes, H.M. (2003). Past, present and future of the wood preservation industry. Forest Products Journal. 53(10) 8–15. Retrieved on April 17, 2005.
• Goldberg, L. (1996). A history of pest control measures in the anthropology collections, national museum of natural history, Smithsonian Institution.JAIC 35(1) 23–43. Retrieved on April 17, 2005.
• National institutes of health. (2002, October 31). Hazardous substances data bank: Mercuric chloride. Retrieved on April 17, 2005.
• Pimple, K.D. Pedroni, J.A. Berdon, V. (2002, July 09). Syphilis in history. Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions at Indiana University-Bloomington. Retrieved on April 17, 2005.
• Towler, J. (1864). Stereographic negatives and landscape photography. Chapter 28. In: The silver sunbeam: a practical and theoretical textbook of sun drawing and photographic printing. Retrieved on April 13, 2005.
• Young, R.(2004, October 6). Toxicity summary for mercury. The risk assessment information system. Retrieved on April 17, 2005.

External Links

• Mercury chloride toxicity - includes excerpts from research reports.