|
|
|
|
|
It is reported that this substance was used by Iraq in the war against Iran and against the Kurds in the northern Iraq in the 1980s.
HYDROGEN
CYANIDE, also called hydrocyanic acid and prussic acid,
extremely poisonous, colorless liquid with a bitter-almond odor. The
compound’s chemical formula is HCN. HCN melts at –14° C (6.8°
F) and boils at 25.7° C (78.2° F). A few milligrams of the substance and
of related cyanides can be rapidly fatal to humans, acting by blocking the
ability of cells to use oxygen. The compound mixes with water, alcohol,
and ether in all proportions. When impurities are present, HCN molecules
can combine to form a black solid; the reaction may be explosive unless
inhibited. HCN is flammable and can form explosive mixtures with air. It
was once produced from the pigment Prussian blue, hence its secondary
name. Now it is prepared commercially by the reaction of methane with
ammonia in the presence of a platinum catalyst.
Also see: Cyanide Poisoning
Title Goes Here
Title Goes Here
Title Goes Here