Cyanide plant sources

The hydroxynitrile lyase (HNL) class of enzymes, also referred to as oxynitrilases, consists of enzymes that catalyze the formation of chiral cyanohydrins by the stereospecific addition of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) to aldehydes and ketones (Scheme 19.36).275 279 These chiral cyanohydrins are versatile synthons, which can be further modified to prepare chiral a-hydroxy acids, a-hydroxy aldehydes and ketones, acyloins, vicinal diols, ethanolamines, and a- and P-amino acids, to name a few.280 Both (R)- and (.S )-selective HNLs have been isolated, usually from plant sources, where their natural substrates play a role in defense mechanisms of the plant through the release of HCN. In addition to there being HNLs with different stereo-preferences, two different classifications have been defined, based on whether the HNL contains a flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) co-factor. 

Emissions to the atmosphere from ammonia plants include sulfur dioxide (SOj), nitrogen oxides (NOJ, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (COj), hydrogen sulfide (HjS), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter, methane, hydrogen cyanide, and ammonia. The two primary sources of pollutants, with typical reported values, in kilograms per ton (kg/t) for the important pollutants, are as follows ... 

Water is mainly used in heat exchanger segments of units and as wash water for the equipment. Leaks and spills water is also used in the scrubber and the distillation unit the resulting wastewater contains ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and small amounts of organic nitriles. Scrubber purging is employed in order to avoid the buildup of impurities in other sources of wastewater in the plant. General plant wash water and rainfall runoff collectively contribute to the volume and characteristics of the wastewater in this plant. 

Cyanide has many sources natural (plant-Cassava), industrial (cyanide salts and nitriles), and accidental (fires). The target organ is the brain death is from respiratory arrest. Cyanide blocks cytochrome a-a3 (cytochrome oxidase) in mitochondria. The toxic level is 1 mg mL-1 in blood. Treatment involves giving dicobalt edetate (chelation). Alternatively, by giving NaNCb, levels of methemoglobin are increased, and this binds cyanide. Detoxication is catalyzed by the enzyme rhodanese, and this pathway may be increased by giving NaS207. 

At one time amygdalin, sold as Laetrile, was promoted as a treatment for cancer, presumably based on the hope that the cancer cells would be poisoned by the released cyanide.1 The tubers and leaves of the cassava plant provide a major source of food in many tropical countries. However, unless the cyanogenic glycosides are removed by boiling the tubers and pulping the leaves cassava is... 

Cyanide and thiocyanate are normal constituents of blood (77). Sources of cyanide include some foods, for example, cyanogenic glycosides in bitter almonds, fruit seeds, and a number of plants, cigarette smoke, and smoke from fires. The blood concentration of cyanide in healthy subjects was... 

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