Cyanide is a highly toxic substance known as the "entrance to death", such as human activities can also lead to the formation of cyanide. Hydrogen cyanide is found in the exhaust gases and cigarette smoke of cars, and burning some plastic and wool can produce cyanide.
However, they are not the masterpieces of chemists; on the contrary, they are widespread in nature, especially in biology.
Cyanide can be made from certain bacteria, fungi, or algae and are found in large amounts of food and plants. The following knowledge of cyanide will help people to correctly understand cyanide and avoid talking about "cyanide" discoloration.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" Data-track="28" > how toxic is cyanide? </h1>
The toxicity of cyanide depends on the dose and method of ingestion. LD50 is an important parameter for measuring the toxicity of chemicals, such as 6.4 mg/kg sodium cyanide (rats through the mouth),
This means that each of the 100 rats weighing about 200 grams will die 1.28 mg of sodium cyanide.
What if it's an adult weighing 70 kilograms? You can roughly convert it. If poisoning is caused by intravenous injection and inhalation of high concentrations of hydrocyanic acid gas, the mortality rate is higher.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="32" > the toxic mechanism of cyanide</h1>
There are three types of highly toxic cyanide: sodium cyanide, potassium cyanide and hydrocyanate. Other substances such as potassium ferrocyanide also contain cyano, but because cyanogen ions are difficult to dissociate, they are relatively less toxic. Cyanide can enter the body through contact with the skin and lumen mucosa, respiratory inhalation, oral administration and injection, and then break down cyanide ions. This ion can firmly bind to the trivalent iron ions of cytochrome oxidase in the mitochondria, so that it cannot be reduced to divalent iron ions, thereby preventing cells from using oxygen in the blood, causing tissue hypoxia and body asphyxia.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="34" > cyanide is also found in food</h1>
It has been found that more than 2,000 kinds of plants and plant cores contain cyanide, such as cassava, sorghum, corn, beans, kale, flax seeds, bamboo shoots, almonds, grape seeds, apple seeds, etc. Most of the cyanide exists in the form of cyanide, and its content is related to plant genetic genes, growth environment, climate, soil and other factors. Cyanogen itself is non-toxic, and only when the cellular structure of the plant is destroyed will the cyanogen-containing plant die β - glucosidase can hydrolyze cyanosides to produce toxic hydrocyanates. In general, bitter tapioca and almonds have a higher cyanide content than sweet tapioca and sweet almonds. It is best not to eat, even if you eat, you must pay attention to the processing method.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="36" > cyanide is everywhere</h1>
Cyanide is contained in the smoke produced by smoking and burning plastics; cyanide is found in paints and adhesives; cyanide is one of the processing materials if you wear synthetic fibers; even in cotton jeans, the dye component contains cyanide; such as mirrors, silver plating liquid contains cyanide; and some medicines to eat, and some drinks to drink, seem to have nothing to do with cyanide, but do involve the synthesis of some intermediates.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="38" > why are cyanide "favored" by detective novelists? </h1>
Many detective fiction writers prefer cyanide as a key point to advance the storyline. British female writer Agatha Christie wrote a mystery novel in 1945, and even in the anime "Detective Conan" named "Flash Cyanide", there are countless people who die of cyanide poisoning. This is not without reason. First, cyanide causes a "lightning death" effect. At the same solid dose, cyanide is much faster than arsenic and other poisons. At the same time, cyanide is more water soluble than arsenic and is more difficult to be detected by the victim.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="40" > the "alchemy" of cyanide</h1>
Cyanide is an important chemical intermediate raw material, widely used in medicine, pesticides, paper, textiles, dyes, plastics production, the most important use is to extract gold. Gold cyanide reactor is the most efficient process for extracting gold from low-grade ores. The principle is to dissolve heavy metals such as gold and silver in the ore in a solution of sodium cyanide or potassium cyanide, and then replace the gold and silver in the solution with zinc.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="42" > famous scientist who died of cyanide</h1>
According to a previous statistic, more than 40% of chemists who committed suicide used cyanide. The most famous of these is the American Carrolles, the inventor of nylon that laid the foundation for the manufacture of modern synthetic rubber. He was chronically depressed at the age of 41. Alan Turing, the founder of computer science and artificial intelligence, ended his life by eating apples soaked in a solution of cyanide.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="44" > the environmental impact of cyanide leakage</h1>
The biggest environmental disaster caused by cyanide was the Bhopal incident in India in 1984, when a pesticide plant affiliated with United Carbon spilled a large amount of the volatile and highly toxic liquid methyl isocyanate, causing nearly 25,000 direct deaths and more than 200,000 permanent disabilities. So what about sodium cyanide leaks? First, sodium cyanide is stored in solid form and is relatively stable in nature. Even if a part of it leaks out, it can be collected and disinfected by professionals. Secondly, if the leaked sodium cyanide reacts with water, acid or nitrate, forming a highly toxic hydrocyanic acid, which is very dangerous, but will be rapidly diluted and decomposed in the open air environment. Finally, we need to be aware of the possible contamination of water and soil caused by cyanide. Measures such as plugging and cofferdam can be taken to prevent spread, and neutralization measures such as spraying corresponding chemicals can be taken to make it harmless.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="46" > cyanide and gas chambers</h1>
During World War II, Nazi Germany built gas chambers in many concentration camps and killed thousands of Jews and prisoners. One of the most commonly used poisons by the Nazis was zicron B, cyanide. Ziclonb was originally used as an insecticide. At room temperature are solid particles. Under heating and humidification conditions, it changes from a solid to a deadly hydrocyanic acid gas. However, the Nazis still felt that the poison "did not work" well and the mortality rate was not high. Hydrocyanic acid, although highly toxic, is extremely unstable. In the air, it is oxidized to cyanic acid for about 10 minutes in summer and about 1 hour in winter under the action of ultraviolet light, and then decomposes into ammonia and carbon dioxide.