Toxic agents cyanide

Chemical Reactivity - Reactivity with Water No reaction Reactivity with Common Materials No reaction Stability During Transport Stable, in presence of moisture, toxic hydrogen cyanide gas may collect in enclosed spaces Neutralizing Agents for Acids and Caustics Not pertinent Polymerization Not pertinent Inhibitor cf Polymerization Not pertinent. 

Free cyanide is the primary toxic agent in the aquatic environment. Free cyanide refers to the sum of molecular HCN and the cyanide anion (CN ), regardless of origin. In aqueous solution with pH 9.2 and lower, the majority of the free cyanide is in the form of molecular HCN. The chemical names for HCN include hydrogen cyanide, hydrocyanic acid, cyanohydric acid, and prussic acid. 

B. 0. Holmstead1 has carried out investigations on the rate of hydrolysis of cyano-phosphorus compounds. First of all, mention may be made of the hydrolysis of diethyl phosphorocyanidate2 which proceeds rapidly in a buffer solution at pH 7-2 giving rise to the CN ion. Some 90 per cent hydrolysis takes place at this pH in 1 hr. Under similar conditions tabun is also hydrolysed to cyanide to the extent of about 80 per cent in 12 hr. There is a concurrent diminution of toxicity as the hydrolysis proceeds. Even in distilled water 50 per cent of the cyanide is split off in 9 hr. This instability would seem to render this compound ineffective as a toxic agent for use on a large scale. 

E. Acetonitrile itself is not the toxicant but undergoes metabolism and produces cyanide, which is the toxic agent here. 

The aqueous washings contain toxic lithium cyanide and should be treated with a strong oxidizing agent (e.g., potassium permanganate) before disposal. 

Laboratory assays indicating exposure to cyanide and anticholinesterase compounds, such as nerve toxic agents, are known and available at many clinical facilities. However, there is currently no clinical test for skin-blistering agents and, therefore, initial diagnosis and treatment of injured are likely to be guided by observation of vital signs and symptoms by health care professionals on the scene. 

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