All Sections. About Us. B2B Publishing. Business Visionaries. Hot Property. Times Events. Times Store. Written By: Annie Lennon. FEB 09, Many ocean species use sound to communicate and survive.
Sound is a crucial communication method since vision is limited Written By: Tiffany Dazet. APR 12, An international team of scientists has found that each year, 5, tons of dust falls from space to Earth. This far out JUN 21, An international team led by researchers from the University of Bern in Switzerland and the National Centre of Competenc JUL 13, Artificial lighting can affect the eyesight of moths that rely on night-time vision, such as the elephant hawkmoth.
Tagging is how all of our articles, products and events are related to each other. You can explore tags individually by clicking on them, or by searching for them on our website. To learn more, click here. Murder mysteries and spy novels often feature cyanide as a fast-acting poison , but you can be exposed to this toxin from everyday chemicals and even common foods. Have you ever wondered how cyanide poisons and kills people, how much it takes before it's toxic and whether there is a cure?
Here's what you need to know. The term "cyanide" refers to any chemical containing a carbon-nitrogen CN bond. Many substances contain cyanide, but not all of them are deadly poisons. In fact, you can find cyanide in nitriles used as pharmaceuticals, such as citalopram Celexa and cimetidine Tagamet.
Nitriles aren't as dangerous because they don't readily release the CN - ion, which is the group that acts as a metabolic poison.
In a nutshell, cyanide prevents cells from using oxygen to make energy molecules. The cyanide ion, CN - , binds to the iron atom in cytochrome C oxidase in the mitochondria of cells. It acts as an irreversible enzyme inhibitor, preventing cytochrome C oxidase from doing its job, which is to transport electrons to oxygen in the electron transport chain of aerobic cellular respiration.
Without the ability to use oxygen, mitochondria can't produce the energy carrier adenosine triphosphate ATP. When a large enough number of critical cells die, you die. Cyanide can be used as a poison or chemical warfare agent , but most people are exposed to it unintentionally. Cyanide in fruits and vegetables is in the form of cyanogenic glycosides cyanoglycosides. Many industrial processes involve compounds that contain cyanide or can react with water or air to produce it.
Paper, textile, photochemical, plastics, mining, and metallurgy industries all may deal with cyanide. Cyanide gas is less dense than air, so it will rise. Inhaling a high dose of cyanide gas rapidly causes unconsciousness and often death. Lower doses may be survivable, especially if immediate aid is provided. The symptoms of cyanide poisoning are similar to those displayed by other conditions or exposure to any of a number of chemicals, so don't assume cyanide is the cause.
Death from poisoning usually results from respiratory or heart failure. Also, skin and body fluids may give off an odor of almonds. How much cyanide is too much depends on the route of exposure, the dose, and duration of exposure? Inhaled cyanide presents a greater risk than ingested cyanide.
Skin contact is not as much of a concern unless the cyanide has been mixed with DMSO , except touching the compound could lead to accidentally swallowing some of it. Unconsciousness, followed by death, could occur within several seconds of inhaling a high dose of cyanide, but lower doses and ingested cyanide may allow a few hours to a couple of days for treatment.
0コメント