Abstract
Attempts to recover dimethyl or diethyl mercury vapor by absorption in the reagents usually recommended for collection of mercury from air met with failure. The absorber design, whether impinger or porous glass diffusion type, contributed only minor differences. However, 0.1N iodine monochloride in 0.5M hydrochloric acid gave quantitative recoveries of dimethyl and diethyl mercury, mono-methyl and monoethyl mercuric chlorides, and mercury vaporized into moving air-streams. The reagent also is applicable to the analysis of mercurial-bearing dusts. Again, the absorber design was not critical, but impinger recoveries were rate-dependent. The Teflon permeation tube for SO2 calibration was adopted successfully to the dynamic calibration of microimpingers developed for personnel monitoring. The ACGIH procedure for analysis was followed after sample collection.