Methylation: its role in the environmental mobility of heavy elements

Formation of bonds between methyl groups and heavy elements (metals or metalloids) alters various physical properties such as solubility or volatility. This alteration enhances the mobility of the heavy metal and can play a major role in the environmental cycles for these elements. Environmental methylation has been established as a major factor in the environmental movement of mercury and arsenic, and very probably affects other elements similarly. Two methylating agents (methylcobalamin and methyl iodide) have been found to mobilize metals out of water-insoluble compounds and/or anoxic sediments. These two compounds react with quite different substrates, but the kinetics of the resulting dissolutions follow virtually identical patterns. These reactions proceed through formation of a methylated intermediate on the substrate surface, followed by movement of the heavy element out of the solid lattice into the surrounding solution.