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Methylation of inorganic tin by decaying spartina alterniflora in estuarine water and by estuarine water
Author(s) -
Falke Anne M.,
Weber James H.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
applied organometallic chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.53
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1099-0739
pISSN - 0268-2605
DOI - 10.1002/aoc.590080409
Subject(s) - spartina alterniflora , tin , chemistry , estuary , spartina , environmental chemistry , salt marsh , marsh , ecology , wetland , biology , organic chemistry
Methyltin compounds (MeSn) which do not originate from man–made pollution are common in estuaries and particularly in salt marshes containing the marsh grass Spartina alterniflora . This study reports the results of experiments in which estuarine water containing S. alterniflora leaves is spiked with inorganic tin, and estuarine water alone is spiked with inorganic tin and MeSn. When decaying leaves are present, inorganic tin concentrations in the water decrease and there is a 10‐fold increase in inorganic tin concentration in the leaves. This biosorption follows pseudo–first–order kinetics. MeSn 3+ and Me 2 Sn 2+ occur occasionally in the water. The Me 2 Sn 2+ concentration decreases with time and the Me 3 Sn 2+ concentration increases with time in S. alterniflora leaves. The results of estuarine water amended with inorganic tin and MeSn in the absence of leaves are quite different. The overall inorganic tin concentration decreases significantly during the experiment, the MeSn 3+ concentration is approximately constant, and concentrations of Me 2 Sn 2+ and Me 3 Sn + increase. This means that net methylation of inorganic tin has occurred. We conclude that decaying S. alterniflora is likely to be important in the cycling of tin in salt marshes.