Metabolic studies of Hg-203 on Chlamydomonas reinhardi

Sterile cultures of Chlamydomonas reinhardi, WT+, were treated with Hg-203 at 25 degrees C to identify probably formed volatile mercury compounds. Experiments were performed with living and dead cells under aerobic or anaerobic conditions, respectively, and the mercury concentration was measured in the system algae/nutrient medium. We found a timerelated decrease of mercury concentration in the cell suspension and the cell-free nutrient medium due to a reduction of Hg++ to Hg0, probably caused by extracellular enzymes; monomethyl or dimethyl mercury could not be detected.