w h a t e v e r c h e m i s t r y ! !: Hydrogen Cyanide

Hydrogen Cyanide

Imagine !!! with just a minimal concentration at 3.2g/m³of hydrogen cyanide , it is more than enough to kill a human in about 1 minute !!! It is no doubt that hydrogen cyanide is one of the potentially deadliest chemical in the world .

Cyanides now no longer keeps any public secrets , it is well know all over the world as a deadly chemical due to some of its bad historical background of related cyanide news . Hydrogen cyanide is once used as a chemical weapon by the Germans during World War II and Iran-Iraq War . It is loaded into tanks or vehicle which transport chemical , so when someone explode the target , cyanide will be released into the open air . Cyanide gasses can able manufactured by mixing certain chemical together .Hydrogen cyanide is commonly listed amongst chemical warfare agent that cause general poisoning and skin blisters .

Chemical and physical properties

Hydrogen cyanide also known as Prussic acid is a colourless , extremely poisonous , and highly volatile liquid that will boils slightly above room temperature at 26^oC . It is a chemical compound with chemical formula HCN .

HCN has a faint , bitter , and burnt almond-like odour that some people are unable to detect due to a genetic traits . It is a linear molecule with a triple bond between carbon and nitrogen .

Molecular formula

Density

Molar mass

Boiling point

Melting point

Appearance

Solubility

Acidity (pK_a)

Viscosity

HCN

0.687g/cm³

27.0253 g/mol

25.6^oC

-13.4^oC

Colourless

Gas or pale blue

miscible with water and alcohol

9.21

0.201cP

How it kills ?

Hydrogen cyanide will causes rapid death due to metabolic asphyxiation. The property of highly toxicity of this chemical is caused by the cyanide ion . When a cyanide compounds is dissolved in water , it will releases cyanide ions (CN^-) which will further causes cyanide poisoning . Hydrogen cyanide is one of the cyanide compounds , and it occurs to be one of the deadliest one !

Highly exposure of cyanide for a short moment will harms the brain and heart . This will further causes death or coma . Cyanide ions will stops cellular respiration by inhibiting the enzyme called cytochrome c oxidase. This will results the electron of transport chain to be disrupted , which also means the cell will no longer able to produce ATP for energy due to oxygen are not transported .Cells and tissues that depends on aerobic respiration will be seriously affected .

Symptoms

Inhalation of high concentration of hydrogen cyanide gas will causes a coma with apnea , seizures and cardiac arrest with death following in a matter of minutes . At lower concentration , ones might loses consciousness and affected with general weakness , giddiness , headache , confusion , vertigo or having difficulties in breathing . Ones that are exposed to hydrogen cyanide gasses will felt the following symptoms :

-giddiness

-unconsciousness

-breathing difficulties

-cardiac arrest

-pulmonary edema

-skin colour turns pink (cyanide-haemoglobin complexes)

-low blood pressure

-respiratory failure and lastly death

Sometimes there will have survivors of serious cyanide poisoning , but the survivors might soon develop heart or brain damage .

Exposed to hydrogen cyanide ?

What should we do , if we are so unlucky that we are exposed to hydrogen cyanide? There are few ways to prevent illness after exposed to such deadly chemical .

· firstly , immediately leave the area where the hydrogen cyanide was released and move to a place which have fresh air .

· Remove clothing !!! if possible cut of the clothing instead having it passing through sensitive area such as eyes .Avoid touching any other people's contaminated clothing.

· Wash affected areas !!! after the clothing is removed , wash every single part of your skin which is contacted with the cyanide with a lots of soap and water .If your eyes are burning or vision is blurred , rinse your eyes with plain water for 10 - 15 minutes .

· Discard contaminated items !!! Use a plastic bag to place all the contaminated items into another plastic bag . Avoid touching all the contaminated items with your bare hands. Seal the bag and call the local or health department immediately .

· Visit the nearest hospital , cyanide poisoning is treated with specific antidotes and supportive medical care .

Production and synthesis

Hydrogen can be formed with the combinations of hydrogen , carbon and ammonia. One of the ways of productions of hydrogen cyanide is with the process called Andrussov oxidation which is invented by Leonid Andrussow at IG Farben in which methane and ammonia react in the presence of oxygen at about 1200^oC over a platinum catalyst:

2 CH₄ + 2 NH₃ + 3 O₂ → 2 HCN + 6 H₂O