摘要：In connection with the manifestation of Minamata disease-symptoms by methoxyethylmercuric chloride reported previously, toxicity of several alkoxyethylmercury compounds was examined. A diet mixed with hydroxyethylmercuric, acetoxyethylmercuric, or alkoxyethylmercuric chloride was fed continuously to dd strain male mice and, also to test distribution of mercury in organs of mice, alkylmercury, phenylmercury, alkoxyethylmercury, or inorganic mercury compound was administered orally once a day for 5 days. Mercury content in organs was estimated at 253.7 mμ by atomic absorption spectrophotometry after reduction of mercury (II) to metallic mercury by tin (II) after wet digestion of the samples with hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid. Specific neural symptoms were observed in almost all the mice given EEMC in doses of 2000 and 2500 μg Hg/day. Mercury content in the organs of these mice was the highest in the liver and the kidney, and 20 μg Hg/g tissue in the brain. Mice given longer-chain alkoxyethylmercury compounds died or showed collapse without such symptoms. This was associated with the increase of acute toxicity according to the number of carbon atoms in the alkoxy group. Comparison of the distribution of different mercury compounds in organs showed that the accumulation of mercury was high in all organs examined in the case of alkylmercury compounds, and decrease of mercury from the organs was slow, but in the case of alkoxyethylmercury compounds, accumulation of mercury was highest in the kidney and lower in other organs, and the decrease of mercury from the organs was rapid.
