Hydrogen cyanide research

Until the 1960s, acrylonitrile was, like vinyl acetate, made from acetylene (by reaction with hydrogen cyanide), but research on catalysts in the 1950s led to the much less costly route shown above. 

NRC (National Research Council). 2000. Hydrogen cyanide. In Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Selected Airborne Contaminants, Volume 4. Washington, DC National Academy Press, pp. 330-365. 

Cassinelli ME. 1986. Progress toward developing a monitoring method for hydrogen cyanide in air. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Method Research Branch, Cincinnati, OH. NTIS No PB86-23-6171. 

EPA. 1990a. Summary review of health effects associated with hydrogen cyanide Health issue assessment. Research Triangle Park, NC Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office, Office of Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 600/8-90/002F. 

Other successes were reported in the early years of research on the origin of life. Perhaps the most notable achievement was by the laboratory of Juan Oro. They showed that the simple chemical hydrogen cyanide would react with itself to yield a number of products including adenine, which is a component of one of the building blocks of nucleic acids. The result cracked open DNA and RNA as targets for chemical investigation... 

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