Mercury Magnetic Isotope Effect: A Plausible Photochemical Mechanism.

Large mass-independent fractionation signatures in Hg have been observed in the laboratory and the environment, prompting deep questions about the chemical reasons behind these signatures. Since the relative lack of mechanistic information about Hg chemistry in the environment has precluded explanations of these isotope effects, the present study uses high-level electronic structure methods to evaluate possible photochemical mechanisms for mass-independent isotope effects in HgX2 and CH3HgX (X = Cl, Br, I, SCH3). The results show that spin-orbit coupling wipes out the potential of mass-independent isotope effects (MIE) for Hg bound to Br or I, but that complexes involving lighter elements, HgX2 and CH3HgX (X=Cl and SCH3) have relatively small spin-orbit couplings upon photolysis. This unexpected finding shows that magnetic isotope fractionation due to hyperfine coupling is possible, depending on the identity of the Hg complex. By examination of the photolysis potential energy profiles, this study shows that HgX2 complexes can have positive or negative MIEs (depending on reaction conditions), while CH3HgX complexes exclusively result in positive MIE. These findings agree with MIE recorded in natural samples, demonstrating a plausible mechanism for the surprising mass-independent fractionation of Hg in the environment.