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cyanide (in chemistry)
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cy·a·nide (sī'ə-nīd') pronunciation
n. also cy·a·nid (-nĭd)
Any of various salts or esters of hydrogen cyanide containing a CN group, especially the extremely poisonous compounds potassium cyanide and sodium cyanide.
tr.v., -nid·ed, -nid·ing, -nides.
1. To treat (a metal surface) with cyanide to produce a hard surface.
2. To treat (an ore) with cyanide to extract gold or silver.
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Cyanide
A compound containing the CN group, for example, potassium cyanide, KCN; calcium cyanide, Ca(CN)2; and hydrocyanic (or prussic) acid, HCN. Chemically, the simple inorganic cyanides resemble chlorides in many ways. Organic compounds containing this group are called nitriles, for example, acrylonitrile, CH2CHCN. See also Acrylonitrile.
HCN is a weak acid. In the pure state, it is a highly volatile liquid, boiling at 26°C (78.8°F). HCN and the cyanides are highly toxic to animals and humans.
The cyanide ion forms a variety of coordination complexes with transition-metal ions, a property responsible for several of the commercial uses of cyanides. The cyanide process T is the most widely used method for extracting gold and silver from the ores. In silver-plating, a smooth adherent deposit is obtained on a metal cathode when electrolysis is carried out in the presence of an excess of cyanide ion.
Ca(CN)2 is extensively used in pest control and as a fumigant in the storage of grain. In finely divided form, it reacts slowly with the moisture in the air to liberate HCN.
In case hardening of metals, an iron or steel article is immersed in a bath of molten sodium or potassium cyanide containing sodium chloride or carbonate. The cyanide decomposes at the surface, forming a deposit of carbon which combines with and penetrates the metal. See also Coordination chemistry.
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Cyanide
Cyanide: Poisoning with cyanide, a rapidly acting, potentially deadly chemical that can exist as a colorless gas, such as hydrogen cyanide (HCN) or cyanogen chloride (CNCl), or a crystal form such as sodium cyanide (NaCN) or potassium cyanide (KCN). Cyanide sometimes is described as having a "bitter almond" smell, but it does not always give off an odor, and not everyone can detect this odor. Cyanide is also known by the military designations AN (for hydrogen cyanide) and CK (for cyanogen chloride).
Cyanide is naturally present in some foods and in certain plants such as cassava. Cyanide is contained in cigarette smoke and the combustion products of synthetic materials such as plastics. In manufacturing, cyanide is used to make paper, textiles, and plastics. It is present in the chemicals used to develop photographs. Cyanide salts are used in metallurgy for electroplating, metal cleaning, and removing gold from its ore. Cyanide gas is used to exterminate pests and vermin in ships and buildings. If accidentally ingested (swallowed), chemicals found in acetonitrile-based products that are used to remove artificial nails can produce cyanide. Hydrogen cyanide, under the name Zyklon B, was used as a genocidal agent by the Germans in World War II.
People may be exposed to cyanide by breathing air, drinking water, eating food, or touching soil that contains cyanide. Cyanide enters water, soil, or air as a result of both natural processes and industrial activities. In air, cyanide is present mainly as gaseous hydrogen cyanide. Smoking cigarettes is probably one of the major sources of cyanide exposure for people who do not work in cyanide-related industries.
Poisoning caused by cyanide depends on the amount of cyanide a person is exposed to and the route and duration of exposure. Breathing cyanide gas causes the most harm, but ingesting cyanide can be toxic as well. Cyanide gas is most dangerous in enclosed places where the gas will be trapped. Cyanide gas evaporates and disperses quickly in open spaces, making it less harmful outdoors.
Cyanide prevents the cells of the body from getting oxygen. When this happens, the cells die. Cyanide is more harmful to the heart and brain than to other organs because the heart and brain use a great deal of oxygen.
People exposed to a small amount of cyanide by breathing it, absorbing it through their skin, or eating foods that contain it may have some or all of the following symptoms within minutes: rapid breathing, restlessness, dizziness, weakness, headache, nausea and vomiting, and rapid heart rate. Exposure to a large amount of cyanide by any route may cause these other health effects as well: convulsions, low blood pressure (hypotension), slow heart rate (bradycardia), loss of consciousness, lung injury and respiratory failure leading to death. Survivors of serious cyanide poisoning may develop heart and brain damage.
To protect oneself against cyanide:
* First, get fresh air by leaving the area where the cyanide was released. Moving to an area with fresh air is a good way to reduce the possibility of death from exposure to cyanide gas.
* If the cyanide release was outside, move away from the area where the cyanide was released.
* If the cyanide release was indoors, get out of the building.
* If leaving the area that was exposed to cyanide is not an option, stay as low to the ground as possible.
* Remove any clothing that has liquid cyanide on it. If possible, seal the clothing in a plastic bag, and then seal that bag inside a second plastic bag. Removing and sealing the clothing in this way will help protect people from any chemicals that might be on their clothes.
* If clothes were placed in plastic bags, inform either the local or state health department or emergency coordinators upon their arrival. Do not handle the plastic bags.
* Rinse the eyes with plain water for 10 to 15 minutes if they are burning or vision is blurred.
* Wash any liquid cyanide from the skin thoroughly with soap and water.
* If cyanide is known to be ingested (swallowed), do not induce vomiting or give fluids to drink.
* Seek medical attention right away. Dial 911 and explain what has happened.
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cyanide
Any chemical compound containing the combining group CN. Ionic (see ion; ionic bond) and organic cyanide compounds differ in chemical properties, but both are toxic, especially the ionic ones. Cyanide poisoning inhibits cells' oxidative (see oxidation-reduction) processes; its action is extremely rapid, and an antidote must be given promptly. Cyanides occur naturally in certain seeds (e.g., apple seeds, wild cherry pits). Cyanides, including hydrogen cyanide (HCN, or hydrocyanic acid), are used industrially in the production of acrylic fibres, synthetic rubbers, and plastics as well as in electroplating, case-hardening of iron and steel, fumigation, and concentration of ores.
For more information on cyanide, visit Britannica.com.
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cyanide (sī'ənīd') , chemical compound containing the cyano group, [sbond]CN. Cyanides are salts or esters of hydrogen cyanide (hydrocyanic acid, HCN) formed by replacing the hydrogen with a metal (e.g., sodium or potassium) or a radical (e.g., ammonium or ethyl). The most common and widely used cyanides are those of sodium and potassium; they are often referred to simply as “cyanide.” Both are white, crystalline, chemically active compounds. They are used as insecticides, in making pigments, in metallurgy (e.g., electroplating and case hardening), and in refining gold and silver by the cyanide process. Organic cyanides are called nitriles. The ethyl ester of hydrogen cyanide (CH3CH2CN) is called variously ethyl cyanide, propionitrile, propane nitrile, nitrilopropane, and cyanoethane; propane nitrile is the approved name in the nomenclature system for organic chemistry adopted by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). Most cyanides are deadly poisons that cause respiratory failure. Symptoms of cyanide poisoning include an odor of bitter almond on the breath, dizziness, convulsions, collapse, and, often, froth on the mouth. In case of cyanide poisoning a doctor should be summoned immediately. If the poison was swallowed, vomiting should be induced. Artificial respiration should be used if needed.
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cy·a·nide (sī'ə-nīd') or cy·a·nid (-nĭd)
n.
Any of various salts or esters of hydrogen cyanide containing a CN group, especially the extremely poisonous compounds potassium cyanide and sodium cyanide.
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cyanide agents
Hydrogen cyanide reportedly was used by Iraq in the war against Iran and against the Kurds in northern Iraq during the 1980's. The Nazis used a form of hydrogen cyanide (Zyklon B) the gas chambers of their concentration camps. It colorless liquid which may be inhaled in gaseous form. Cyanide salts and liquid cyanide may be absorbed by the skin. Symptoms are dizziness, headache, palpitations and respiratory difficulty. These are later followed by vomiting, convulsions, respiratory failure, unconsciousness, and death.
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.
The noun cyanide has 2 meanings:
Meaning #1: any of a class of organic compounds containing the cyano radical -CN
Synonyms: nitrile, nitril
Meaning #2: an extremely poisonous salt of hydrocyanic acid
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cyanide
The cyanide ion, CN−. From the top: 1. Valence-bond structure 2. Space-filling model 3. Electrostatic potential surface 4. 'Carbon lone pair' HOMO
Enlarge
The cyanide ion, CN−.
From the top:
1. Valence-bond structure
2. Space-filling model
3. Electrostatic potential surface
4. 'Carbon lone pair' HOMO
A cyanide is any chemical compound that contains the cyano group -C≡N, with the carbon atom triple-bonded to the nitrogen atom.
The CN group can be found in many kinds of compounds. Some are gases, others are solids or liquids. Some are salt-like, some covalent. Some are molecular, some ionic, and many are polymeric. Those that can release the cyanide ion CN− are highly toxic.
NOTE: The valence-bond structure to the right is incorrect; there should be a lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen as well as on the carbon. Perhaps someone else knows how to correct the image.
Appearance and odor
Hydrogen cyanide is a colorless gas with a faint, bitter, almond-like odor. Nearly 40 percent of the population is unable to smell hydrogen cyanide. This seems to be genetically determined in a complex fashion[1]. Sodium cyanide and potassium cyanide are both white powders with a bitter, almond-like odor in damp air, due to the presence of HCN formed by hydrolysis:
NaCN + H2O → HCN + NaOH
Occurrence and uses
In nature
Cyanides can be produced by certain bacteria, fungi, and algae, and are found in a number of foods and plants. In plants, cyanides are usually bound to sugar molecules in the form of cyanogenic glycosides and serve the plant as defense against herbivores. Cassava roots (aka manioc), an important potato-like food grown in tropical countries, reportedly contain cyanogenic glycosides[1][2]
The Fe-only and [NiFe]-hydrogenase enzymes contain cyanide ligands at their active sites. The biosynthesis of cyanide in the [NiFe]-hydrogenases proceeds from carbamoylphosphate, which converts to cysteinyl thiocyanate, the CN- donor. [3]
Chemistry
Cyanide is a versatile, highly toxic and invaluable anion that is widely encountered in all fields of chemistry.
Coordination chemistry
Cyanide is considered, in a broad sense, to be the most potent ligand for many transition metals. The very high affinities of metals for cyanide can be attributed to its negative charge, compactness, and ability to engage in π-bonding. Well known complexes include:
* hexacyanides [M(CN)6]3− (M = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co), which are octahedral in geometry;
* the tetracyanides, [M(CN)4]2− (M = Ni, Pd, Pt), which are square planar in geometry;
* the dicyanides [M(CN)2]− (M = Cu, Ag, Au), , which are linear in geometry.
The deep blue pigment Prussian blue, used in the making of blueprints, is derived from iron cyanide complexes (hence the name cyanide, from cyan, a shade of blue). Prussian blue can produce hydrogen cyanide when exposed to acids.
Organic synthesis (see nitriles)
Because of its high nucleophilicity, cyanide is readily introduced into organic molecules by displacement of the corresponding organic halide. Organic cyanides are generally called nitriles. Thus, CH3CN can be methyl cyanide but more commonly is referred to as acetonitrile. In organic synthesis, cyanide is used to lengthen a carbon chain, concomitant with the introduction of other functionality:
RX + CN− → RCN + X− (Nucleophilic Substitution) followed by
1. RCN + 2 H2O → RCOOH + NH3 (Hydrolysis), or
2. RCN + 0.5 LiAlH4 + (second step) 2 H2O → RCH2NH2 + 0.5 LiAl(OH)4 (under reflux in dry ether, followed by addition of H2O)
An alternative method for introducing cyanide is via the process of hydrocyanation, whereby hydrogen cyanide and alkenes combine: RCH=CH2 + HCN → RCH(CN)CH3 Metal catalysts are required for such reactions.
Other occurrences and uses
Hydrogen cyanide is a product of combustion, including the exhaust of internal combustion engines, tobacco smoke, and especially some plastics derived from acrylonitrile (because of the latter effect, house fires can result in poisonings of the inhabitants.)
Potassium ferrocyanide is used to achieve a blue colour on cast bronze sculptures during the final finishing stage of the sculpture. On its own, it will produce a very dark shade of blue and is often mixed with other chemicals to achieve the desired tint and hue. It is applied using a torch and paint brush while wearing the standard safety equipment used for any patina application; rubber gloves, safety glasses, and a respirator. The actual amount of cyanide in the mixture varies according to the recipes used by each foundry.
Mining
Gold and silver cyanides are among the very few soluble forms of these metals, and cyanides are thus used in mining as well as electroplating, metallurgy, jewelry, and photography. In the so-called cyanide process, finely ground high-grade ore is mixed with the cyanide solution (concentration of about two kilogram NaCN per tonne); low-grade ores are stacked into heaps and sprayed with cyanide solution (concentration of about one kilogram NaCN per ton). The precious-metal cations are complexed by the cyanide anions to form soluble derivatives, e.g. [Au(CN)2]− and [Ag(CN)2]−.
2Au + 4KCN + ½O2 + H2O → 2K[Au(CN)2] + 2KOH
2Ag + 4KCN + ½O2 + H2O → 2K[Ag(CN)2] + 2KOH
Silver is less "noble" than gold and often occurs as the sulfide, in which case redox is not invoked (no O2 is required), instead a displacement reaction occurs:
Ag2S + 4KCN → 2K[Ag(CN)2] + K2S
The "pregnant liquor" containing these ions is separated from the solids, which are discarded to a tailing pond or spent heap, the recoverable gold having been removed. The metal is recovered from the "pregnant solution" by reduction with zinc dust or by absorption onto activated carbon. This process can result in environmental and health problems. Aqueous cyanide is hydrolyzed rapidly, especially in sunlight. It can mobilize some heavy metals such as mercury if present. Gold can also be associated with arsenopyrite (FeAsS), which is similar to iron pyrite (fool's gold), wherein half of the sulfur atoms are replaced by arsenic. Au-containing arsenopyrite ores are similarly reactive toward cyanide.
Fishing
Main article: Cyanide fishing
Cyanides are illegally used to capture live fish near coral reefs for the aquarium and seafood markets. This fishing occurs mainly in the Philippines, Indonesia and the Caribbean to supply the 2 million marine aquarium owners in the world. In this method, a diver uses a large, needleless syringe to squirt a cyanide solution into areas where the fish are hiding, stunning them so that they can be easily gathered. Many fish caught in this fashion die immediately, or in shipping. Those that survive to find their way into pet stores often die from shock, or from massive digestive damage. The high concentrations of cyanide on reefs so harvested has also resulted in cases of cyanide poisoning among local fishermen and their families.
Environmental organizations decry the practice, as do some aquarists and aquarium dealers. To prevent the trade of illegally-caught aquarium fish, the Marine Aquarium Council (Headquarters: Honolulu, Hawaii) has created a certification in which the tropical fish are caught legally with nets only. To ensure authenticity, "MAC-Certified marine organisms bear the MAC-Certified label on the tanks and boxes in which they are kept and shipped." MAC Certification.
Miscellany
Cyanides are used as insecticides for fumigating ships. In the past cyanide salts have also been used as rat poison.
Toxicity
"Cyanide" is a staple of crime fiction and publicly regarded as meaning deadly poison. Many cyanide-containing compounds are indeed highly toxic, but many are not. Prussian blue, nominally Fe7(CN)18, a common pigment, is administered orally to counteract the effects of poisoning by Thallium and 137Cs.
The most dangerous cyanides are hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and salts derived from it, such as potassium cyanide (KCN) and sodium cyanide (NaCN), but including others. Also some compounds readily release HCN or the cyanide ion, such as trimethylsilyl cyanide (CH3)3SiCN upon contact with water and cyanoacrylates upon pyrolysis. [citation needed]
Many thousands of organic compounds contain the CN group. These compounds are called nitriles. Generally, nitriles do not display the toxicity of HCN, NaCN, and KCN. In fact, the nitrile functional group is an integral component of numerous pharmaceutical drugs including cimetidine (Tagamet), verapamil (Isoptin), and citalopram (celexa). The reason for their diminished toxicity is that nitriles do not release the CN− ion, which permanently binds to and inhibits cytochrome c oxidase, the specific basis of the lethality of cyanide (see below).
Absorption
The most usual route of absorption is by inhalation of hydrogen cyanide gas, which can be formed from alkaline cyanides and certain complex cyanides by the action of acid. Hydrogen cyanide poisoning is also common as a result of smoke inhalation after house fires.
Ingestion is equally dangerous, although this route of absorption is usually deliberate (suicidal or criminal). Absorption through the skin is also possible, though rare.
Mechanism of toxicity
Cyanide ions bind to the iron atom of the enzyme cytochrome c oxidase (also known as aa3) in the fourth complex in the mitochondrial membrane in the mitochondria of cells. This deactivates the enzyme, and the final transport of electrons from cytochrome c oxidase to oxygen cannot be completed. As a result, the electron transport chain is disrupted, meaning that the cell can no longer aerobically produce ATP for energy.
Tissues that mainly depend on aerobic respiration, such as the central nervous system and the heart, are particularly affected.
Plants contain a cyanide-insensitive pathway (photosynthesis instead of the redox reaction) for respiration in their mitochondria, and as a result are insensitive to concentrations of cyanide that are lethal to animals.
Clinical symptoms
It is difficult to give dose figures in this section due to the rapid metabolism of cyanide in the human body. Animal studies are of little help, as different species have widely different sensitivities to cyanide: it is quite possible that there is also a considerable range of sensitivity among human individuals. The Regulatory information section below may give some guidance.
Acute poisoning
Inhalation of high concentrations of hydrogen cyanide causes a coma with seizures, apnea and cardiac arrest, with death following in a matter of minutes.
At lower doses, loss of consciousness may be preceded by general weakness, giddiness, headaches, vertigo, confusion, and perceived difficulty in breathing. At the first stages of unconsciousness, breathing is often sufficient or even rapid, although the state of the victim progresses towards a deep coma, sometimes accompanied by pulmonary edema, and finally cardiac arrest. Skin colour goes pink from high blood oxygen saturation.
Subacute poisoning
At doses insufficient to cause loss of consciousness, the symptoms can also include faintness, drowsiness, anxiety and excitement. Dizziness, nausea, vomiting and sweating are common.
The situation is complicated by the non-specific nature of the symptoms and by notoriety of the product. In some cases, such symptoms are psychosomatic, caused by anxiety at working with cyanides, and this is accentuated by the characteristic odour of hydrogen cyanide, detectable by healthy, undesensitised subjects at levels far below those which are believed to be toxic (odour threshold < 1 ppm). This is not to say that such symptoms should be taken lightly: if the patient is truly a victim of cyanide poisoning, their clinical state may deteriorate rapidly; while if the symptoms are psychosomatic, they will surely recur unless the anxieties about the safety procedures are addressed.
Chronic exposure
Exposure to lower levels of cyanide over a long period (e.g., after use of cassava roots as a primary food source in tropical Africa) results in increased blood cyanide levels. These may result in weakness of the fingers and toes, difficulty walking, dimness of vision, deafness, and decreased thyroid gland function, but chemicals other than cyanide may contribute to these effects. Skin contact with cyanide can produce irritation and sores.
It is not known whether cyanides can directly cause birth defects in people. Birth defects were seen in rats that ate diets of cassava roots. Effects on the reproductive system were seen in rats and mice that drank water containing sodium cyanide.
Diagnosis of poisoning
There are medical tests to measure blood and urine levels of cyanide; however, small amounts of cyanide are not always detectable in blood and urine. Tissue levels of cyanide can be measured if cyanide poisoning is suspected, but cyanide is rapidly cleared from the body, so the tests must be done soon after the exposure. An almond-like odour in the breath may alert a doctor that a person was exposed to cyanide but not all people are able to smell HCN.
Treatment of poisoning and antidotes
The United States standard cyanide antidote kit first uses a small inhaled dose of amyl nitrite, followed by intravenous sodium nitrite, followed by intravenous sodium thiosulfate. The nitrites oxidize some of the hemoglobin's iron from the ferrous state to the ferric state, converting the hemoglobin into methemoglobin. (Treatment with nitrites is not innocuous. Methemoglobin cannot carry oxygen. The adult dose can cause a fatal methemoglobinemia in children or may cause profound hypotension. Treatment of children affected with cyanide intoxication must be individualized and is based upon their body weight and hemoglobin concentration.) Cyanide preferentially bonds to methemoglobin rather than the cytochrome oxidase, converting methemoglobin into cyanmethemoglobin. In the last step, the intravenous sodium thiosulfate reacts with the cyanmethemoglobin yielding thiocyanate, sulfite, and hemoglobin. The thiocyanate is excreted.
Alternative methods of treating cyanide intoxication are used in other countries. For example, in France hydroxycobalamin (a form of vitamin B12) is used to bind cyanide to form the harmless vitamin B12a cyanocobalamin. Cyanocobalamin is eliminated through the urine. Hydroxycobalamin works both within the intravascular space and within the cells to combat cyanide intoxication. This versatility contrasts with methemoglobin, which acts only within the vascular space as an antidote. Administration of sodium thiosulfate improves the ability of the hydroxycobalamin to detoxify cyanide poisoning. This treatment is considered so effective and innocuous that it is administered routinely in Paris to victims of smoke inhalation to detoxify any associated cyanide intoxication. However it is relatively expensive and not universally available.
4-Dimethylaminophenol (4-DMAP) has been proposed in Germany as a more rapid antidote than nitrites with (reportedly) lower toxicity. 4-DMAP is used currently by the German military and by the civilian population. In humans, intravenous injection of 3 mg/kg of 4-DMAP produces 35 percent methemoglobin levels within 1 minute. Reportedly, 4-DMAP is part of the US Cyanokit, while it is not part of the GERM Cyanokit due to side effects (e. g. hemolysis).
Cobalt salts have also been demonstrated as effective in binding cyanide. One current cobalt-based antidote available in Europe is dicobalt-EDTA, sold as Kelocyanor®. This agent chelates cyanide as the cobalticyanide. This drug provides an antidote effect more quickly than formation of methemoglobin, but a clear superiority to methemoglobin formation has not been demonstrated. Cobalt complexes are quite toxic, and there have been accidents reported in the UK where patients have been given dicobalt-EDTA by mistake based on a false diagnoses of cyanide poisoning.
The International Programme on Chemical Safety issued a survey (IPCS/CEC Evaluation of Antidotes Series) that lists the following antidotal agents and their effects: Oxygen, sodium thiosulfate, amyl nitrite, sodium nitrite, 4-dimethylaminophenol, hydroxocobalamin, and dicobalt edetate ('Kelocyanor'), as well as several others[2]. Other commonly-recommended antidotes are 'solutions A and B' (a solution of ferrous sulphate in aqueous citric acid, and aqueous sodium carbonate) and amyl nitrite.
Britain's Health and Safety Executive(HSE) has recommended against the use of solutions A and B because of their limited shelf life, potential to cause iron poisoning, and limited applicability (effective only in cases of cyanide ingestion, whereas the main modes of poisoning are inhalation and skin contact). The HSE has also questioned the usefulness of amyl nitrate due to storage/availability problems, risk of abuse, and lack of evidence of significant benefits, instead recommending Kelocyanor[3].
Glucose
Evidence from animal experiments suggests that coadministration of glucose protects against cobalt toxicity associated with the antidote agent dicobalt edetate. For this reason, glucose is often administered alongside this agent (e.g. in the formulation 'Kelocyanor').
It has also been anecdotally suggested that glucose is itself an effective counteragent to cyanide, reacting with it to form less toxic compounds that can be eliminated by the body. One theory on the apparent immunity of Grigory Rasputin to cyanide was that his killers put the poison in sweet pastries and madeira wine, both of which are rich in sugar; thus, Rasputin would have been administered the poison together with massive quantities of antidote. One study found a reduction in cyanide toxicity in mice when the cyanide was first mixed with glucose[4]. However, as yet glucose on its own is not an officially acknowledged antidote to cyanide poisoning.
Poison use
The cyanide ion, if used as poison, is generally delivered in the form of gaseous hydrogen cyanide or in the form of potassium cyanide (KCN) or sodium cyanide (NaCN).
Gas chambers
Zyklon B, the poison gas used in Nazi gas chambers during the Holocaust, worked by delivering hydrogen cyanide gas.
Cyanide is also the compound used in U.S. gas chambers for execution.
War
Cyanides were stockpiled in both the Soviet and the United States chemical weapons arsenals in the 1950s and 1960s. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union was thought to be planning to use hydrogen cyanide as a "blitzkrieg" weapon to clear a path through the opposing front line, knowing that the harmful gas itself would dissipate and allow unprotected access to the captured zone[citation needed]. However, as a military agent, cyanide was not considered very effective, since cyanide is lighter than air and requires a significant dose in order to incapacitate or kill.
Suicide
Cyanide salts are sometimes used as fast-acting suicide devices. Cyanide is reputed to work faster on an empty stomach, possibly because the anion is protonated by stomach acids to give HCN. Famous cyanide salt suicides include:
* Erwin Rommel
* Adolf Hitler (likely, see article on Hitler's death)
* Eva Braun
* Joseph Goebbels
* Hermann Göring
* Heinrich Himmler
* Alan Turing
* Odilo Globocnik
* Martin Bormann
* A North-Korean agent identified as Kim Sung Il, who along with a female accomplice in police custody in Bahrain bit into cyanide tablets hidden in cigarettes after having left a bomb onboard Korean Air Flight 858 which subsequently exploded over the Indian Ocean on November 29, 1987. The woman's life was saved by a quick-thinking police officer who knocked the cigarette away at the last second.
* Ramón Sampedro
* Gavrilo Princip attempted suicide, but failed
* Nedeljko Čabrinović attempted suicide, but failed
* Behzad Nabavi attempted suicide, but failed
Some espionage agents also carried spectacles with cyanide in the frames. If they were caught by the enemy they could 'casually' chew the frame, releasing the cyanide, and die before having information extracted from them.[citation needed] Members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which operate in north-eastern Sri Lanka are reported to use capsules made out of cyanide compound/compounds to commit suicide when they are about to be captured by the security forces of Sri Lanka.
Jonestown
Jonestown, Guyana was the site of the largest mass suicide of all time, where 913 members of the Peoples Temple drank a potassium cyanide-laced cup of Flavor Aid in 1978.
Murder
See:
* Goebbels children
* Tylenol scare
In fiction
Poisoning by cyanide figures prominently in crime fiction, for example Agatha Christie's Sparkling Cyanide (also entitled Remembered Death). Cyanide is also the instrument of murder in The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler and Roald Dahl's short story "The Landlady". In the Joseph Kesselring play "Arsenic and Old Lace," two old ladies mix wine with arsenic, cyanide and strychnine to use to kill old men. In the James Bond movies and novels, double 0 agents are issued cyanide capsules for use in the event of capture by the enemy. James Bond is described as having thrown his away.
Medical uses
The cyanide compound sodium nitroprusside is occasionally used in emergency medical situations to produce a rapid decrease in blood pressure in humans; it is also used as a vasodilator in vascular research.
In Current Events
According to a Time Magazine[5], terrorists planned on releasing cyanide gas into the New York City Subway System shortly after the September 11th attacks. The attack was reportedly called off because there would not be enough casualties.
See also
* Category:Cyanides
* Victims of poisoning
References
1. ^ J. Vetter (2000). "Plant cyanogenic glycosides". Toxicon. 38: 11-36. DOI:10.1016/S0041-0101(99)00128-2.
2. ^ D. A. Jones (1998). "Why are so many food plants cyanogenic?". Phytochemistry 47: 155-162. DOI:10.1016/S0031-9422(97)00425-1.
3. ^ Reissmann, S.; Hochleitner, E.; Wang, H.; Paschos, A.; Lottspeich, F.; Glass, R. S. and Böck, A., "Taming of a Poison: Biosynthesis of the NiFe-Hydrogenase Cyanide Ligands", Science, 2003, 299, 1067-70.
Sources
* Institut national de recherche et de sécurité (1997). "Cyanure d'hydrogène et solutions aqueuses". Fiche toxicologique n° 4, Paris:INRS, 5pp. (PDF file, in French)
* Institut national de recherche et de sécurité (1997). "Cyanure de sodium. Cyanure de potassium". Fiche toxicologique n° 111, Paris:INRS, 6pp. (PDF file, in French)
External links
* ATSDR medical management guidelines for cyanide poisoning (US)
* Cyanide intoxication, by Charles Stewart
* HSE recommendations for first aid treatment of cyanide poisoning (UK)
* Hydrogen cyanide and cyanides (CICAD 61)
* IPCS/CEC Evaluation of antidotes for poisoning by cyanides
* National Pollutant Inventory - Cyanide compounds fact sheet
* Eating apple seeds is safe despite the small amount of cyanide
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Translations for: Cyanide
Dansk (Danish)
n. - cyanid
v. tr. - anvende cyanidmetoden, indsætte cyan
Nederlands (Dutch)
cyanide
Français (French)
n. - (Chim) cyanure
v. tr. - durcir un métal par dissolution dans une solution de cyanure, extraire de l'or par dissolution dans une solution de cyanure
Deutsch (German)
n. - Zyanid
v. - zementieren, im Cyanidverfahren bearbeiten
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (χημ.) κυανιούχο άλας, άλας του υδροκυάνιου, υδροκυάνιο
Italiano (Italian)
cianuro
Português (Portuguese)
n. - cianeto (m) (Quím.)
Русский (Russian)
цианид
Español (Spanish)
n. - cianuro
v. tr. - tratar con cianuro para extraer oro
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - cyanid
中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
氰化物, 用氰化物处理
中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 氰化物
v. tr. - 用氰化物處理
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 시안 화물, 청산가리
v. tr. - 시안으로 처리하다
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - シアン化物
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) مادة السيانيد ( كيمياء)
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ציאניד (רעל)
v. tr. - השתמש בציאניד כבמחצב להפקת זהב, הרעיל
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Copyrights:
Dictionary definition of cyanide
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2004, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. More from Dictionary
Science and Technology Encyclopedia information about cyanide
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. More from Science and Technology Encyclopedia
$copyright.smallImage.alttext Medical Term information about cyanide
©1996-2001 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Notices and Legal Disclaimer More from Medical Term
Britannica information about cyanide
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. More from Britannica
Encyclopedia information about cyanide
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ More from Encyclopedia
Medical definition of cyanide
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. More from Medical
Bioterrorism information about cyanide
Copyright © 2002 yourDictionary.com. All rights reserved. More from Bioterrorism
WordNet information about cyanide
WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. More from WordNet
Wikipedia information about cyanide
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cyanide". More from Wikipedia
Translations for cyanide
Copyright © 2006, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. More from Translations
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