• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1.1-11
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• 1992

To find heavy metal-specific effects on the photosynthetic apparatus of higher plants, we investigated effects of $CuCl_2$, HgCl_2$ and $ZnCl_2$ on electron transport activity and chlorophyll fluorescence induction kinetics of chloroplasts isolated from barley seedlings. Effects on some related processes such as germination, growth and photosynthetic pigments of the test plants were also studied. Germination and growth rate were inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner by these metals. Mercury was shown to be the most potent inhibitor of germination, growth and biosynthesis of photosynthetic pigments of barley plants. In the inhibition of electron transport activity, quantum yield of PS II, and chlorophyll fluorescence induction kinetics of chloroplasts isolated from barley seedlings, mercury chloride showed more pronounced effects than other two metals. Contrary to the effects of other two metals, mercury chloride increased variable fluorescence significantly and abolished qE in the fluorescence induction kinetics from broken chloroplasts of barley seedlings. This increase in variable fluorescence is due to the inhibition of the electron transport chain after PS ll and the following dark reactions. The inhibition of qE could be attributed to the interruption of pH formation and do-epoxidation of violaxathin to zeaxanthin in thylakoids by mercury. This unique effect of mercury on chlorophyll fluorescence induction pattern could be used as a good indicator for testing the presence and/or the concentration of mercury in the samples contaminated with heavy metals.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.69-69
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• 2003

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2015

Mercury is a toxic pollutants present in different types of industrial effluents and is responsible for environmental pollution. Removal of Hg(II) ions from synthetic wastewater was studied using the activated biocarbon produced from the leaves of Tridax procumbens (Asteraceae). The particle size of the biocarbon (BC) is in the range of $100-120{\mu}m$. The effects of initial metal ion concentration, pH, contact time, and amount of biocarbon on the biosorption process were studied at temperature of $28{\pm}2^{\circ}C$. Batch experimental studies showed that an equilibrium time of 160 min was required for the maximum removal of Hg(II) at the optimized biocarbon dose of 2.5 g per 100 mL of synthetic wastewater. The optimum pH required for maximum removal (96.5%) of Hg(II) ions was found to be 5.5. The biosorption of metal ions onto activated biocarbon surface is probably via an ion exchange mechanism. The biocarbon can be regenerated with minimum loss. Further, it can be reused without any chemical activation. The findings of the research suggested that, the biocarbon produced from cost effective renewable resources can be utilized for the treatment of industrial wastewater.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.101-107
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• 2010

Metal ions are essential to life. However, some metals such as mercury are harmful, even when present at trace amounts. Toxicity of mercury arises mainly from its oxidizing properties. Ionizing radiation (IR) is an active tool for destruction of cancer cells and diagnosis of diseases, etc. IR induces DNA double strand breaks in the nucleus, In addition, it causes lipid peroxidation, ceramide generation, and protein oxidation in the membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus. Yeasts have been a commonly used material in biological research. In yeasts, the physiological response to changing environmental conditions is controlled by the cell types. Growth rate, mutation and environmental conditions affect cell size and shape distributions. In this work, the effect of IR and mercury chloride (II) on the morphology of yeast cells were investigated. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells were treated with IR, mercury chloride (II) and IR combined with mercury chloride (II). Non-treated cells were used as a control group. Morphological changes were observed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The half-lethal condition from the previous experimental results was used to the IR combined with mercury. Yeast cells were exposed to 400 and 800 Gy at dose rates of 400Gy $hr^{-1}$ or 800 Gy $hr^{-1}$, respectively. Yeast cells were treated with 0.05 to 0.15 mM mercury chloride (II). Oxidative stress can damage cellular membranes through a lipidic peroxidation. This effect was detected in this work, after treatment of IR and mercury chloride (II). The cell morphology was modified more at high doses of IR and high concentrations of mercury chloride(II). IR and mercury chloride (II) were of the oxidative stress. Cell morphology was modified differently according to the way of oxidative stress treatment. Moreover, morphological changes in the cell membrane were more observable in the frequently stress treated cells than the temporarily stress treated cells.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1433-1436
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• 2003

A new method for the simultaneous determination of heavy metal ions in cigarette material by microwave digestion and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) has been developed. The cigarette material was digested by microwave digestion. Lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel and tin ions in the digested samples were pre-column derivatized with tetra-(2-chlorophenyl)-porphyrin ($T_2$-CPP) to form color chelates, which were then enriched by solid phase extraction with a $C_{18}$ cartridge. The chelates were separated on a Waters Xterra$^{TM}RP_{18}$ column by gradient elution with methanol (containing 0.05 mol/L pyrrolidine-aceticacid buffer salt, pH = 10.0) and acetone (containin0.05 mol/L pyrrolidine-acetic acid buffer salt, pH = 10.0)as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.5mL/min and analyzed with a photodiode array detector from 350-600 nm. The detection limits of lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel and tin were 4,3,3,8 and 5 ng/L, respectively, in the original samples. This method was afforded good results.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.487-490
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• 1991

Electrochemical studies of alkali metal cations $(Na^+, K^+, Rb^+, Cs^+)$ were performed in methanolic solutions of 18-crown-6 and tetrabutylammonium salts at dropping mercury electrodes (DME) and thin mercury film electrodes (TMFE). All the cations investigated were reduced reversibly at DME in the absence and presence of 18-crown-6, and in the latter the limiting currents were decreased and the reduction potentials shifted to the negative direction. The reduction potentials of the metal ions (0.2 mM) in the presence of the crown (10 mM) were - 2.14 $(Na^+)$, - 2.26 $(K^+)$, - 2.20 $(Rb^+) and - 2.14 $(Cs^+)$ V vs. SCE, respectively. The measured potentials were rationalized with ion recognition of the cations by the crown. Electroreduction at TMFE were highly irreversible. A new representation method of ion recognition is presented. In aqueous solutions, electroreduction of the alkali metal ions were characterized by adsorption.

• Nano
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.1850116.1-1850116.14
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• 2018

In this study, we report the mercury ions ($Hg^{2+}$) mediated phosphorus-containing carbon dots (PCDs) as a selective "off-on" fluorescence probe for glutathione (GSH), cysteine (Cys) and homocysteine (Hcys). PCDs obtained by hydrothermal reaction are sensitive to $Hg^{2+}$ ions and its fluorescence can be significantly quenched owing to the electron transfer from the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of PCDs to $Hg^{2+}$. Interestingly, the weak fluorescence of $Hg^{2+}$-mediated PCDs could be gradually recovered with the addition of GSH, Cys and Hcys. This can be attributed to the formation of $Hg^{2+}-S$ complex due to the super affinity of $Hg^{2+}$-sulfydryl bond. The formation of $Hg^{2+}-S$ complex extremely reduces the oxidation ability of $Hg^{2+}$ that inhibits the electron transfer from LUMO of PCDs to $Hg^{2+}$ and re-opens the native electron transition from LUMO to the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of PCDs. Thus, the green fluorescence of PCDs is switched on. Furthermore, the present $Hg^{2+}$-mediated PCDs assay exhibits a high selectivity for GSH, Cys and Hcy and has been successfully used to detect the total biothiols content in human urine samples.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.324-330
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• 2007

A new ion selective PVC membrane electrode is developed as a sensor for mercury(II) ions based on bis(benzoylacetone) propylenediimine (H2(BA)2PD) as an ionophore. The electrode shows good response characteristics and displays, a linear Emf vs. log[Hg2+] response over the concentration range of 1.0×10-6 to 1.0×10-1 M Hg(II) with a Nernstian slope of 29.8±0.75 mV per decade and with a detection limit of 2.2×10-7 M Hg(II) over the pH range of 2.5-11.5. Selectivity concentrations for Hg(II) relative to a number of potential interfering ions were also investigated. The sensor is highly selective for Hg(II) ions over a large number of cations with different charge. The sensor has been found to be chemically inert showing a fast response time of 60 s and was used over a period of 3 months with a good reproducibility (S = 0.27 mV). The electrode was successfully applied to determine mercury(II) in real samples with satisfactory results.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.530-539
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• 2016

Bacterial light-oxygen-voltage-sensing photoreceptor-derived flavin mononucleotide (FMN)-based fluorescent proteins act as a promising distinct class of fluorescent proteins utilized for various biomedical and biotechnological applications. The key property of its independency towards oxygen for its chromophore maturation has greatly helped this protein to outperform the other fluorescent proteins such as GFP and DsRed for anaerobic applications. Here, we describe the feasibility of FMN-containing fluorescent protein FbFP as a metal-sensing probe by measuring the fluorescence emission changes of a protein with respect to the concentration of metal ions. In the present study, we demonstrated the mercury-sensing ability of FbFP protein and the possible amino acids responsible for metal binding. A ratiometric approach was employed here in order to exploit the fluorescence changes observed at two different emission maxima with respect to Hg²⁺ at micromolar concentration. The engineered variant FbFP_C56I showed high sensitivity towards Hg²⁺ and followed a good linear relationship from 0.1 to 3 μM of Hg²⁺. Thus, further engineering with a rational approach would enable the FbFP to be developed as a novel and highly selective and sensitive biosensor for other toxic heavy metal ions as well.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.231-251
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• 2010

The sulfatation of chitosan, by reaction with chlorosulfonic acid under controlled conditions, allowed increasing the pH range of chitosan solubility. The biopolymer was characterized using FTIR and $^{13}C$-NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and titration analysis and it was tested for mercury recovery by polymer enhanced ultrafiltration (PEUF). In slightly alkaline conditions (i.e., pH 8) mercury recovery was possible and at saturation of the polymer the molar ratio $-NH_2$/Hg(II) tended to 2.6. Polymer recycling was possible changing the pH to 2 and the polymer was reused for 3 cycles maintaining high metal recovery. The presence of chloride ions influences metal speciation and affinity for the polymer and "playing" with metal speciation allowed using the PEUF process for mercury separation from cadmium; at pH 11 the formation of hydroxo-complexes of Hg(II) limits it retention. Cake formation reveals the predominant controlling step for permeation flux.