Diphenylmercury Explained

Diphenylmercury is the organomercury compound with the formula Hg(C₆H₅)₂. It is a white solid.^[1] The compound is of historic interest as a particularly stable organometallic compound but it finds few uses because of its high toxicity.

Preparation

Commercially available, this compound can be prepared by several routes. It results from treating phenylmercury acetate with sodium stannite,^[2] by the reaction of mercuric halides with phenylmagnesium bromide,^[3] and the reaction of bromobenzene with sodium amalgam.

Safety

Diphenylmercury is highly toxic.

Notes and References

1. Glidewell, C. . Low, J. N. . Wardell, J. L. . Diphenylmercury, redetermined at 120 K: sheets built from a single C-H···π(arene) hydrogen bond . . 2005 . 61 . 2 . m107–m108 . 10.1107/S0108270104034134 . 15695887 . free.
2. Maynard . J. L. . The Direct Mercuration of Benzene and the Preparation of Mercury Diphenyl . . 1924 . 46 . 6 . 1510–1512 . 10.1021/ja01671a024.
3. Borgstrom . P. . Dewar . M. M. . The Preparation of Mercury Diphenyl by Use of the Grignard Reagent . . 1929 . 51 . 11 . 3387–3389 . 10.1021/ja01386a030 .