Determination of mercury in fish tissue by spectrophotometry and atomic absorption

CHED 191

Shaker Ramasamy, rgnanase@mnsfld.edu and Tyler Reese. Department of Chemistry, Mansfield University, Grant Science, Mansfield, PA 16933
High mercury levels in inland waters have forced health officials to issue advisories warning people to restrict or entirely avoid eating certain species of fish caught from thousands of inland lakes and streams in 48 states. At present there is insufficient testing data, due to the complexities and the expense of testing. This study will explore the possibility of using 3,3-diphenylbenzo[c]thiphene-1(3H)-thione as an inexpensive precipitator for mercury and the spectrophotometric determination of mercury. The spectrophotmetric results will be compared to the cold vapor atomic absorption determination of mercury in fish from several bodies of water in Pennsylvania and the surrounding states.