[2] It was obtained in the investigation of Hofmann's base, an ill-defined yellowish material produced by treatment of mercuric oxide with base in ethanol.

[3] Hofmann's base was once thought to have the formula C2Hg6(OH)2.

Eventually it was found to dissolve in carboxylic acids (RCO2H) to give colorless derivatives of the type C(HgO2CR)4.

Several tetramercurimethane derivatives have now been characterized by X-ray crystallography.

[4][5] Independent of studies on Hofmann's base, tetrakis(acetoxymercuri)methane was first prepared by reaction of the tetraborylmethane C(B(OCH3)2)4 with mercuric acetate.