Abstract
It is usually assumed that the free, hydrated cupric ion is the physico-chemical form of copper most toxic to aquatic organisms, and that complexed copper is much less toxic (Magnuson et al., 1979). A recent study (Florence, 1982) of the effect of model ligands on the speciation of copper, lead, cadmium and zinc, led to the conclusion that in most natural waters a large fraction of each of these metals is bound in highly stable complexes by unidentified organic ligands. In addition, many of the water samples were found to contain lipid-soluble metal. Florence (1982; 1982a) pointed out that lipid-soluble metal complexes are often neglected in biotoxicity studies, even though some such compounds are known to be strongly bioaccumulated and highly toxic.
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© 1984 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Florence, T.M., Lumsden, B.G., Fardy, J.J. (1984). Algae as Indicators of Copper Speciation. In: Kramer, C.J.M., Duinker, J.C. (eds) Complexation of trace metals in natural waters. Developments in Biogeochemistry, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-6167-8_37
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-6167-8_37
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