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Related Concept Videos

Extraction: Advanced Methods00:56

Extraction: Advanced Methods

Metal ions can be separated from one another by complexation with organic ligands–the chelating agent– to form uncharged chelates. Here, the chelating agent must contain hydrophobic groups and behave as a weak acid, losing a proton to bind with the metal. Since most organic ligands used in this process are insoluble or undergo oxidation in the aqueous phase, the chelating agent is initially added to the organic phase and extracted into the aqueous phase. The metal-ligand complex is formed in...
Formation of Complex Ions03:45

Formation of Complex Ions

A type of Lewis acid-base chemistry involves the formation of a complex ion (or a coordination complex) comprising a central atom, typically a transition metal cation, surrounded by ions or molecules called ligands. These ligands can be neutral molecules like H2O or NH3, or ions such as CN− or OH−. Often, the ligands act as Lewis bases, donating a pair of electrons to the central atom. These types of Lewis acid-base reactions are examples of a broad subdiscipline called coordination...
Valence Bond Theory02:42

Valence Bond Theory

Coordination compounds and complexes exhibit different colors, geometries, and magnetic behavior, depending on the metal atom/ion and ligands from which they are composed. In an attempt to explain the bonding and structure of coordination complexes, Linus Pauling proposed the valence bond theory, or VBT, using the concepts of hybridization and the overlapping of the atomic orbitals. According to VBT, the central metal atom or ion (Lewis acid) hybridizes to provide empty orbitals of suitable...
Qualitative Analysis03:46

Qualitative Analysis

For solutions containing mixtures of different cations, the identity of each cation can be determined by qualitative analysis. This technique involves a series of selective precipitations with different chemical reagents, each reaction producing a characteristic precipitate for a specific group of cations. Metal ions within a group are further separated by varying the pH, heating the mixture to redissolve a precipitate, or adding other reagents to form complex ions.
For instance, group IV...
Common Ion Effect03:24

Common Ion Effect

Compared with pure water, the solubility of an ionic compound is less in aqueous solutions containing a common ion (one also produced by dissolution of the ionic compound). This is an example of a phenomenon known as the common ion effect, which is a consequence of the law of mass action that may be explained using Le Châtelier’s principle. Consider the dissolution of silver iodide:
Ions as Acids and Bases02:54

Ions as Acids and Bases

Salts with Acidic Ions
Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions, either of which may be capable of undergoing an acid or base ionization reaction with water. Aqueous salt solutions, therefore, may be acidic, basic, or neutral, depending on the relative acid-base strengths of the salt’s constituent ions. For example, dissolving the ammonium chloride in water results in its dissociation, as described by the equation:

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

Measuring Cation Transport by Na,K- and H,K-ATPase in Xenopus Oocytes by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry: An Alternative to Radioisotope Assays
12:48

Measuring Cation Transport by Na,K- and H,K-ATPase in Xenopus Oocytes by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry: An Alternative to Radioisotope Assays

Published on: February 19, 2013

Divalent base cations hamper Hg(II) uptake.

Valérie Daguené1, Emily McFall, Emmanuel Yumvihoze

  • 1Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 rue Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.

Environmental Science & Technology
|May 31, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Declining base cations in boreal lakes may increase mercury (Hg) accumulation in bacteria. Higher divalent cation levels protect against mercury uptake by gram-negative bacteria, impacting the mercury geochemical cycle.

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Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry Techniques for Determining the Structure and Mechanisms of Metal Ion Recognition and Redox Activity of Metal Binding Oligopeptides
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Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry Techniques for Determining the Structure and Mechanisms of Metal Ion Recognition and Redox Activity of Metal Binding Oligopeptides

Published on: September 7, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Environmental chemistry
  • Microbiology
  • Ecotoxicology

Background:

  • Boreal lakes show declining base cation concentrations, impacting aquatic ecosystems.
  • Mercury (Hg) is a global contaminant of high concern, and its biogeochemical cycle is complex.
  • The effects of base cation decline on mercury accumulation by bacteria remain unstudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how changing base cation concentrations affect mercury(II) [Hg(II)] accumulation by gram-negative bacteria.
  • To understand the implications for the mercury geochemical cycle in boreal lakes.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a whole-cell gram-negative bioreporter system.
  • Assessed net Hg(II) accumulation under varying base cation concentrations.
  • Considered different Hg(II) speciation in solution.

Main Results:

  • Increased divalent base cation concentrations reduced net Hg(II) accumulation by the bacteria.
  • This suggests a protective effect of base cations against mercury uptake.
  • Bacterial cell wall structure, specifically outer membrane permeability, is crucial for Hg(II) uptake pathways.

Conclusions:

  • Base cations may hinder Hg(II) accumulation by decreasing outer membrane permeability and passive diffusion.
  • Declining base cations in boreal lakes could exacerbate mercury contamination.
  • This highlights a potential harmful consequence of delayed recovery from acidification for mercury cycling.