this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2024
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Science Memes

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brilliant as silver (mander.xyz)
submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[โ€“] [email protected] 116 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Probably because they didn't know WHICH type of mercury you had. Organic mercury can kill on touch with a single drop. Best not to take chances.

[โ€“] [email protected] 59 points 8 months ago (3 children)

I had to search for "organic mercury", it's dimethylmercury and it doesn't look like mercury at all. Do people really call it "mercury" or "organic mercury"? It's on par with pounds as a measure of mass, weight, and force by the amount of confusion, I'd say ๐Ÿค”

::: spoiler sad story that was in the top of search results about dimethylmercury: Wikipedia excerpt: Karen Elizabeth Wetterhahn (October 16, 1948 โ€“ June 8, 1997), also known as Karen Wetterhahn Jennette, was an American professor of chemistry at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, who specialized in toxic metal exposure. She died of mercury poisoning at the age of 48 due to accidental exposure to the extremely toxic organic mercury compound dimethylmercury (Hg(CH3)2). Protective gloves in use at the time of the incident provided insufficient protection, and exposure to only a few drops of the chemical absorbed through the gloves proved to be fatal after less than a year. sad but also a bit ironic fate ๐Ÿซก that's why I prefer not to do dangerous things even when protection and/or safety is in place.

[โ€“] [email protected] 27 points 8 months ago

Do people really call it "mercury" or "organic mercury"? It's on par with pounds as a measure of mass, weight, and force by the amount of confusion, I'd say

No, I doubt it. There aren't very many uses for dimethylmercury due to its potential lethality. I would assume the people who actually use it in a lab setting are going to call it dimethylmercury, especially considering organic mercury usually refers to methylmercury, or one of the other less harmful organomercury compounds.

I think the confusion probably stems from the original article about the scientist who passed. Dimethylmercury is made from a reaction of methylmercury, and they are both organomercuric compounds.

[โ€“] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)

And currency!

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Forgot about that, this certainly ~~adds insult to an injury~~ spices it up

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

I think chubbyemu did a video about this lady. Absolutely tragic and heart breaking.

[โ€“] [email protected] 30 points 8 months ago

Yeah. Elemental is mostly harmless if you aren't around it for long and don't inhale vapors.

[โ€“] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (3 children)

Source? I'm not sure who to believe. People on the internet who claim it's safe enough that you can pick it up or people on the internet who claim kills you if you touch it.

I'm not going to go swimming in a mercury pool any time soon either way.

[โ€“] [email protected] 29 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Chemist (and biochemist) here. Organometallic compounds of Mercury are primarily dangerous because Mercury ions bond fairly strongly to soft ligands like sulfhydryl groups found near the active sites of enzymes. This can result in the displacement of the metal ions or otherwise disrupt the structure needed for enzyme functionality. Mercury metal OTOH is considerably less reactive. It is not safe to breathe in for prolonged periods of time but it is no where near as toxic as its organometallic derivatives are. Dimethyl Mercury for example, is extremely dangerous. A single drop has 100+ times the organomercury content needed to kill someone.

[โ€“] [email protected] 16 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I think they are saying it depends what you mean by "mercury" because some compounds are both toxic and readily absorbed through the skin.

[โ€“] [email protected] 17 points 8 months ago

Exactly that. Elemental mercury (ie: the liquid metal form) doesn't readily absorb through the skin. It gives off vapors which are harmful with extended or repeated contact, but generally it's not super dangerous to be around.(Not totally safe though)

Organic mercury compounds (eg: methylmercury) are extremely toxic because they can be absorbed through the skin, and can traverse the blood brain barrier

[โ€“] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago

Regular liquid mercury is relatively safe to handle, but I would still wear gloves. It won't get through undamaged skin, but is dangerous if you have even a small skin laceration it can get through.

[โ€“] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

you can always consult the Material Safety Data Sheet

For comparison, dimethyl mercury

Elemental mercury is not going to kill you if you touch it- wash hands and call a doctor. they'll probably be like, "Take two asprin and call me int he morning so I can bill you twice." you definitely don't want to inhale it, but outside of something like a fire or being heated, adequate ventilation is sufficient; if ventilation isn't possible a respirator is a good idea. Dimethyl on the other hand... is nasty.