The anhydrous compound features Hg2+ in a highly distorted tetrahedral HgO4 environment. Two Hg-O distances are 2.22 Å and the others are 2.28 and 2.42 Å.[5] In the monohydrate, Hg2+ adopts a linear coordination geometry with Hg-O (sulfate) and Hg-O (water) bond lengths of 2.179 and 2.228 Å, respectively. Four weaker bonds are also observed with Hg---O distances >2.5 Å.[6] History[edit] In 1932, the Japanese chemical company Chisso Corporation began using mercury sulfate as the catalyst for the production of acetaldehyde from acetylene and water. Though it was unknown at the time, methylmercury is formed as side product of this reaction. Exposure and consumption of the mercury waste products, including methylmercury, that were dumped into Minamata Bay by Chisso are believed to be the cause of Minamata disease in Minamata,