Almonds, bitter toxicity

Brombenzylcyanide (C6H5CHBrCN) - a colourless crystal body with bitter almond smell, toxic dose - 0,0003 mg/1. 

An almond-like smell in the breath of a poisoned patient can warn a physician that the individual may be suffering from cyanide poisoning. Approximately 60-70% of the population can detect the bitter almond odor of hydrogen cyanide. The odor threshold for those sensitive to the odor is estimated to be 1-5 ppm in the air. However, even at high toxic concentrations up to 20% of all individuals are genetically unable to smell hydrogen cyanide (Snodgrass 1996). Some effects of cyanide that can also be used to monitor exposure are discussed in Section 2.5.2. 

Potassium cyanide (KCN) is a white crystalline substance with a slight odor of bitter almonds. It is produced when hydrogen cyanide is absorbed in potassium hydroxide. It is used to extract gold and silver from their ores, in electroplating computer boards, and as an insecticide. Potassium cyanide is very toxic to the skin or when ingested or inhaled, and it is used as a source of cyanide (CN) gas in gas chambers. 

Formula HCN MW 27.03 CAS [74-90-8] occurs in the root of certain plants, beet sugar residues, coke oven gas, and tobacco smoke released during combustion of wool, polyurethane foam, and nylon produced when metal cyanides react with dilute mineral acids colorless or pale liquid or a gas odor of bitter almond boils at 25.6°C solidifies at -13.4°C density of liquid 0.69 g/mL at 20°C and gas 0.95 (air = 1) at 31°C soluble in water and alcohol, very weakly acidic dangerously toxic and highly flammable (Patnaik, 1992). 

Cold dilute HCI Cyanides, CN Liberation of hydrogen cyanide odor of bitter almond (caution highly toxic)... 

Nitrobenzene is a pale yellow oily liquid (mp, 5.7°C bp, 211°C) with an odor of bitter almonds or shoe polish. It is produced mainly for the manufacture of aniline. It can enter the body through all routes and has a toxicity rating of five. Its toxic action is much like that of aniline, including the conversion of hemoglobin to methemoglobin, which deprives tissue of oxygen. Cyanosis is a major symptom of nitrobenzene poisoning. 

Laetrile, found in the seeds of apricots and bitter almonds, has considerable toxicity because it releases hydrogen cyanide on hydrolysis. It has been purported to be useful in the treatment of cancer, but controlled studies have shown no evidence of effectiveness. Show how hydrogen cyanide is produced on hydrolysis of laetrile. 

Nitrobenzene is a highly toxic, pale, yellow liquid, having a specific smell of bitter almonds. It melts at +5.7°C, and boils at 210.9°C. It was first obtained by Mitscherlich [1] in 1834. The compound is widely used in organic industry as a starting material for the preparation of aniline, benzidine and other intermediates... 

Do not confuse sweet almond with bitter almond (Prunus amygdalus var umu. a). The essential oil is extracted by steam distillation after maceration of pressed nuts. A major component is benzaldehyde (95%), which is moderately toxic. Hydrocyanic acid is also formed, which is poisonous. It is not suitable for aromatherapy but is used in the food industry. 

Anhydrous hydrogen cyanide is a colorless or pale yellow liquid witli a mild odor similar to that of bitter almonds. Tlie liquid boils at 78.3°F and 1.0 atm and forms a colorless, flanunablc, toxic gas. Hydrogen cyanide is completely... 

Clark II, CDA. Used in 1918 alone and mixed with diphenyl chloroarsine. Colourless crystals odour of garlic and bitter almonds, mp 35°C. Dispersed as an aerosol. Odour detectable at 0.01 mg/m3, limit of supportability 0.25 mg/m3 for 1-2 min. Toxic effects similar to those of diphenyl chloroarsine but slightly more potent. 

Pale yellow oily liquid. Smells of bitter almonds. Sometimes known as Oil of Mir-bane . Used in cheap perfumes. Toxic by inhalation or ingestion. Haemoglobin converted to methaemoglobin cyanosis, anoxia, death. 

Another important class of carbon compounds, the cyanides, contain the anion group C=N . Cyanide ions are extremely toxic because they bind almost irreversibly to the Fe(III) ion in cytochrome oxidase, a key enzyme in metabolic processes. Hydrogen cyanide, which has the aroma of bitter almonds, is even more dangerous because of its volatility (b.p. 26°C). A few tenths of 1 percent by volume of HCN in air can cause death within minutes. Hydrogen cyanide can be prepared by treating sodium cyanide or potassium cyanide with acid ... 

The inhibition of the enzyme tyrosinase may very well be a key to the control of melanoma, and some of the known inhibitors include eommon substances. Thus, vitamin C, among other common and uncommon substances, has been listed as an enzyme inhibitor for tyrosinase in M.K. Jain s Handbook of Enzyme Inhibitors, 1965-1977 (1982). In addition to ascorbic acid (vitamin C), these other substances include the following halide ion (e.g., from the chloride of common salt, or from iodides and fluorides) butyric acid (from rancid butter) lactic acid (the end product of cancer cell metabolism, found naturally in sour milk products) oxalic acid (ordinarily considered toxic, although it occurs naturally in rhubarb and wood sorrel, etc.) formic acid (a component of ant stings) tyrosine itself and deadly cyanide (which is a chemically bound component of laetrile), as found in almonds (notably bitter almonds), in apricot seeds, and in certain legumes such as beans, etc., although the heat from cooking may drive off the cyanide content. 

Potassium cyanide, KCN, is a cyanide salt that is found as a white, amorphous, deliquescent lump or crystalline mass with a faint odor of bitter almonds. It is soluble in water and has a speciflc gravity of 1.52. It is a poison that is absorbed through the skin. Target organs are the same as for sodium cyanide. Reaction with acids releases flammable and toxic hydrogen cyanide gas. The four-digit UN identification number is 1680. The NFPA 704 designation is health 3, flammability 0, and reactivity... 

Hydrogen cyanide (hydrocyanic acid, prussic acid, HCN [CAS 74-90-81) A rapidly acting, potent metabolic asphyxiant that inhibits cytochrome oxidase and stops cellular respiration. See also p 177. 4.7 ppm (C), S 50 ppm ERPG-2 10 ppm ERPG-3 25 ppm 4 4 2 (vapors extremely toxic) Colorless to pale blue liquid or colorless gas with a sweet, bitter almond smell that is an inadequate warning property even for those sensitive to it. Vapor pressure is 620 mm Hg at 20 C (68°F). Cyanide salts will release HCN gas with exposure to acids or heat. 

HCN Hydrogen cyanide Very toxic, slight odor of bitter almonds... 

Hydrogen cyanide, HCN, is an extremely toxic gas that famously has the odor of bitter almonds. It is produced by the reaction of a cj anide salt, such as NaCN, with an acid. Aqueous solutions of HCN are known as hydrocyanic acid. Neutralization with a base produces cyanide salts, which are used in the manufacture of several plastics, including nylon and Orion . The CN ion forms stable complexes with most transition metals. (Section 17.5)... 

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