Bitter almond odor

Bitter almond odor associated with patient suggests cyanide poisoning, metabolic acidosis, cyanide (blood) or thiocyanate (blood or urine) levels. 

Colorless to brown liquid that is odorless when pure impurities may give a faintly fruity or bitter almonds odor. Undergoes considerable decomposition when explosively disseminated. 

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. 

Odor Faint bitter almond odor11 Faint bitter almond odor 1... 

CyHeO, Mr 106.12, Z />101.3kPa 178.1 °C, d] 1.0415, Wp 1.5463, is the main, characteristic component of bitter almond oil. It occurs in many other essential oils and is a colorless liquid with a bitter almond odor. In the absence of inhibitors, benzaldehyde undergoes autoxidation to perbenzoic acid, which reacts with a second molecule of benzaldehyde to benzoic acid. 

Benzaldehyde is used in aroma compositions for its bitter almond odor. It is the starting material for a large number of araliphatic fragrance and flavor materials. 

TNT) is present the color with ammonia is red at the beginning, but, it turns violet on standing. MNB and MNT do not produce any color when treated with a caustic or ammonia, but their presence in Cheddites can be detected by bitter almond odor (Ref l,pp 137-8)(See also under Quantitative Tests)... 

Clinically, cyanide poisoning is reported to produce a bitter, almond odor on the breath of the patient however, only a small proportion of the population is genetically... 

Boelens has also used this approach to derive QSAR equations for musk, jasmine, fruit and bitter almond odorants (Boelens, 1976 Boelens and Punter, 1978 Boelens et al., 1983). In the case of bitter almond and musk, he concluded that hydrophobic and steric parameters were important. For the jasmine materials, he found that molecular connectivity indices were useful parameters. Molecular connectivity indices were also used by their inventors, Kier et al. (1977), to analyse anosmia to fatty acids and the odour similarities of ethereal, floral and benzaldehyde-like odorants. Dearden (1994) also developed a QSAR equation relating the odour similarity of bitter almond odorants to two connectivity indices. Greenberg (1979) found that the odour intensity of a series of homologous compounds was correlated to their hydrophobic properties and not to steric or polar properties, while Rossiter (1996b) found that the fruitiness of aliphatic esters was related to steric hindrance of the ester group and either molecular length or log P. 

Cyanide Bitter almond odor, seizures, coma, abnomial ECG... 

F. Odors. A number of toxins may have characteristic odors (Table 1-21). However, the odor may be subtle and may be obscured by the smell of emesis or by other ambient odors. In addition, the ability to smell an odor may vary for example, only about 50% of the general population can smell the bitter almond odor of cyanide. Thus, the absence of an odor does not guarantee the absence of the toxin. 

Evidently, again, there is evidence of a necessary-but-not-sufficient correlation, but the case is, perhaps, different from that of musk. The odor of musk is distinct even when blended with or accompanied by other notes" such as amber or jasmin. The bitter almond odor is more easily submerged and "lost" in a complex blend of odors so that the only way to Isolate it clearly is to fatigue the nose with respect to one part of the pattern and then "look for" the residual parts. In this way, the "community of odor property" in two sensations can be estimated in most of the sensations received via the generalist receptors ( ). 

Properties Low-melting solid, bitter almond odor sol. in ether insol. in water m.w. 210.28 m.p. 32-34 C b.p. 330 C flash pt. > 230 F Uses Synthetic flavoring agent in foods and pharmaceuticals... 

Properties Colorless to yel. oily liq., bitter almond odor, flavor sol. in most common org. solvs. insol. in alcohol m.w. 134.17 dens. 1.010-1.016 b.p. 210 C flash pt. 70 C ref. index 1.5300-1.5350 Uses Synthetic flavoring agent and fragrance in foods and pharmaceuticals fragrance in cosmetics, beauty care, soaps Features Strong fresh-fruity green note Use Level Trace-2%... 

Properties Colorless liq., bitter almond odor sol. in alcohol, ether si. sol. in water m.w. 120.14 dens. 1.020 b.p. 199-204 C ref. index 1.54693 (16.6 C) Toxicology LD50 (oral, rat) 2250 mg/kg mod. toxic by ing. skin irritant TSCA listed Precaution Combustible Hazardous Decomp. Prods. Heated to decomp., emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes Uses Dyestuff intermediate synthetic flavoring agent in foods and pharmaceuticals fragrance in cosmetics... 

Odor Bitter almond odor detectable at 1 to 5 ppm however, 20 to 60% of the population are reported to be unable to detect the odor of HCN... 

---