Cyanide odor caused

Properties Colorless gas or liquefied gas almondlike odor, acrid and pungent in high cones. very sol. in water, ethanol, ether m.w. 52.04 dens. 0.954 (-21 C) f.p. -27.9 C b.p. -21.1 C Toxicology ACGIH TLV/TWA 10 ppm LDLo (subcut., rabbit) 13 mg/kg poison by subcut. route mod. toxic by inh. human systemic effects nose/throat irritant above 16 ppm reacts slowly with moisture in the body to release the cyanide ion cyanide poisoning causes headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting ... 

Note - It is a good idea to have a supply of cyanide antidote ready in case you are affected by the fumes. These are sodium thiosulfate, a common photographic chemical, and amyl nitrite, a heart drug. Butyl nitrite is available in some "sex" shops as a room odorant, and may be substituted for the amyl nitrite. A few hours before beginning production of the actual cyanide, take a capsule containing 500 mg of sodium thiosulfate. It is comparatively non-toxic, but may cause a small bout of "egg burps". 

PCC, a common by-product of PCP s illicit manufacture (sometimes accounting for 10-25% of the mixture), causes abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and in sufficient doses, coma. PCC is an unstable compound, degrading to piperidine. Contaminated batches of PCP can sometimes be recognized by a strong fishy odor. When heated, as when it is smoked and inhaled, PCC liberates hydrogen cyanide, so cyanide poisoning in PCP smokers is also a strong possibility. 

Many people can detect hydrogen cyanide by odor or taste sensation at a concentration of 1 ppm in air while most people can detect 5 ppm. But HCN does not have an offensive odor, and a few people cannot smell it even at toxic levels. OSHA has set 4.7 ppm as the maximum, average safe exposure limit for a 15-minute period. Exposure to 20 ppm of HCN in air causes slight warning symptoms after several hours 50 ppm causes disturbances within an hour 100 ppm is dangerous for exposures of 30 to 60 minutes and 300 ppm can be rapidly fatal unless prompt, effective first aid is administered. A small concentration of cyanide (0.02 to 0.04 mg/L) always exists in a person s body, and the body has a mechanism for continuous removal of small amounts of cyanide129. 

Cyanide poisoning does not cause production of cyanohe-moglobinemia or cyanosis. It does produce cytotoxic anoxia by poisoning cytochrome oxidase and other respiratory enzymes, thereby preventing utilization of O2 by tissues. Cyanide poisoning is detected by the characteristic odor of HCN gas (odor of bitter almonds) on the breath and by laboratory tests (absorption spectra, tests for CN-). 

Lactic acid is formed by reacting calcium lactate with an acid, such as sulfuric, which simultaneously forms an insoluble calcium salt, the precipitate is removed by filtration. The filtered lactic acid— particularly when prepared from crude calcium lactate—contains impurities which cause color, odor, and haze. The acid is heated to 100° C and a predetermined amount of sodium or calcium ferro-cyanide is added to precipitate iron and copper. Activated carbon is added simultaneously to assist in flocculating the precipitate and also to remove impurities that cause color and odor. 

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