The application of mercury (Hg) stable isotopes to problems in environmental chemistry is relatively new, but is a rapidly expanding field of investigation. Interest in this isotope system has been stimulated by concerns regarding the global distribution of mercury, its tendency to be methylated and bioaccumulated in the environment, and the severe health affects associated with this toxic metal. Mercury displays mass-dependent isotope fractionation during most biotic and abiotic chemical transformations. Additionally, mercury displays mass-independent fractionation, mainly during photochemical radical pair reactions, wherein the reactivity of odd and even mass number isotopes differs. The combination of mass-dependent and mass-independent fractionation provides a new and much needed probe into the reaction pathways and history of mercury in biogeochemical systems, and also provides an isotopic fingerprint of various mercury sources to the environment.

Applications of Stable Mercury Isotopes to Biogeochemistry

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