Uptake of hydrophobic metal complexes by three freshwater algae: unexpected influence of pH

Cadmium forms neutral, lipophilic Cd(L)2(0) complexes with diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) and with ethylxanthate (XANT). Uptake of these complexes bythree unicellularfreshwater green algae (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella fusca, and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata) was determined at two pH values (7.0 and 5.5) and compared to uptake of the free, uncomplexed Cd2+ ion. Uptake of the lipophilic complexes over time, characterized by high initial uptake rates but tending toward a plateau after about 30 min, could be modeled successfully as the result of the following processes: first-order uptake from solution, partitioning of the accumulated Cd into two internal pools (labile and nonlabile), and first-order loss of Cd from the labile pool. At pH 7.0 initial uptake rates for both Cd(L)2(0) complexes were much higher than for Cd2+ alone (e.g., up to approximately 90 times higher for comparable dissolved Cd concentrations of approximately 0.4 nM). However, the initial uptake rates for the lipophilic complexes dropped dramatically when the pH was lowered from 7.0 to 5.5 (2- to 60-fold decrease, depending on the algal species and the nature of the neutral complex). Loss rates for the accumulated complexes also decreased atthe lower pH. The lipophilicity of the neutral complexes, as estimated from their octanol-water distribution coefficient (Dow), was not affected by the decrease in pH from 7.0 to 5.5. We thus conclude that the acidification of the external medium, i.e., the interaction of protons with the algal membrane, strongly affects algal membrane permeability.