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thiomersal

Structure via PubChem · Public domain (PubChem)

EntityQ411046· pop 30· linked from 204 articles

thiomersal

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Also known as o-(ethylmercurithio)benzoic acid sodium salt, ethylmercurithiosalicylate sodium, mercurothiolate, sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate, Thiomersalum, sodium merthiolate, thiomersalate, Thimerosal

Thiomersal (INN), or thimerosal (USAN, JAN), also sold under the name merthiolate, is an organomercury compound. It is a well-established antiseptic and antifungal agent.

Chemical data

Formula
C9H9HgNaO2S
Molecular weight
404.82 g/mol
SMILES
C[CH2].C1=CC=C(C(=C1)C(=O)[O-])[S-].[Na+].[Hg+]
InChIKey
RTKIYNMVFMVABJ-UHFFFAOYSA-L
Polar surface area
41.1 Ų
H-bond donors
0
H-bond acceptors
3
Formal charge
0

via PubChem

Research

2,040 papers

via PubMed

~10 min read

Encyclopedic overview

12 sections
Contents
  • History
  • Synthesis
  • Structure
  • Uses
  • Antiseptic/antifungal
  • Toxicology
  • General toxicity
  • As an allergen
  • Removal from vaccines
  • Disproven autism hypothesis
  • See also
  • References

Thiomersal (INN), or thimerosal (USAN, JAN), also sold under the name merthiolate, is an organomercury compound. It is a well-established antiseptic and antifungal agent.

It has been used as a preservative in vaccines, immunoglobulin preparations, skin test antigens, antivenins, ophthalmic and nasal products, and tattoo inks. Despite the scientific consensus that fears about its safety are unsubstantiated, its use as a vaccine preservative has been exploited by anti-vaccination groups.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “thiomersal” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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