Editing Methylmercury (section)

==Structure and chemistry==
"Methylmercury" is a shorthand for the hypothetical "methylmercury cation", sometimes written ''methylmercury(1+) cation'' or ''methylmercury(II) cation''. This [[functional group]] is composed of a [[methyl group]] [[Chemical bond|bonded]] to an atom of [[Mercury (element)|mercury]]. Its [[chemical formula]] is {{chem2|CH3Hg+}} (sometimes written as {{chem2|MeHg+}}). The Methylmercury compound has an overall charge of +1, with Hg in the +2 [[oxidation state]]. Methylmercury exists as a substituent in many complexes of the type {{chem2|[MeHgL]+}} (L = Lewis base) and MeHgX (X = anion).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Canty |first1=Allan J. |last2=Chaichit |first2=Narongsak |last3=Gatehouse |first3=Bryan M. |last4=George |first4=Edwin E. |last5=Hayhurst |first5=Glen |title=Coordination chemistry of methylmercury(II). Synthesis, hydrogen-1 NMR, and crystallographic studies of cationic complexes of Me ''Hg''(II) with ambidentate and polydentate ligands containing pyridyl and N-substituted imidazolyl donors and involving unusual coordination geometries |journal=[[Inorganic Chemistry (journal)|Inorganic Chemistry]] |volume=20 |issue=8 |pages=2414–2422 |year=1981 |doi=10.1021/ic50222a011}}</ref>

As a positively charged ion, it readily combines with [[anion]]s such as [[chloride]] ({{chem2|Cl-}}), [[hydroxide]] ({{chem2|OH-}}) and [[nitrate]] ({{chem2|NO3-}}). It has particular affinity for [[sulfur]]-containing anions, particularly [[thiol]]s ({{chem2|RS−}}). Thiols are generated when the [[amino acid]] [[cysteine]] and the [[peptide]] [[glutathione]] form strong complexes with methylmercury:<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nolan |first1=Elizabeth M. |last2=Lippard |first2=Stephen J. |title=Tools and Tactics for the Optical Detection of Mercuric Ion |journal=Chemical Reviews |volume=108 |issue=9 |pages=3443–3480 |year=2008 |pmid=18652512 |doi=10.1021/cr068000q}}</ref>
:{{chem2|[MeHg]+ + RSH -> MeHg\sSR + H+}}