Cyanide (powder)
Potassium cyanide powder
HIMTRADE
Price
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Potassium cyanide (KCN) is a white or slightly grayish crystalline substance with a bitter almond odor. Used in electroplating, metallurgy (gold extraction), organic synthesis, nitrile production, and laboratory analytics. Not used in medicine or household due to extreme toxicity. It is a potent systemic cellular poison that blocks the mitochondrial respiratory chain.
Specifications
| Chemical formula | KCN |
|---|---|
| Name | Potassium cyanide |
| Purpose | Fatal |
| Class | Systemic cellular poison |
| Industrial use | Electroplating, metallurgy (gold extraction), organic synthesis, nitrile production, laboratory analytics |
| Active ingredient | Cyanide |
| Form | Powder |
| Composition | Cyanide, flavoring, food additives |
| Human weight | up to 120 kg |
| Country of manufacture | USA |
| Weight | 150 mg |
| Odor | Bitter almonds (releases hydrocyanic acid upon contact with moisture) |
| Lethal dose | 50-100 mg for humans; inhalation of HCN vapors (<0.2 mg/L air) also fatal |
| Time to death | Ingestion: 1-10 minutes; vapor inhalation: 30 seconds - 2 minutes |
| Mechanism of action | Blocks cytochrome oxidase enzyme in mitochondrial respiratory chain, completely stopping intracellular respiration. Cells stop utilizing oxygen, leading to internal hypoxia. |
| Poisoning symptoms | • Metallic or almond odor (not perceived by 20-40% of people) • Burning in mouth, nausea, feeling of fear, weakness • Dizziness, difficulty breathing, rapid pulse • Convulsions, loss of consciousness, involuntary urination • Skin and mucous membranes - pink-red (oxygenated blood) • Rapid death within minutes at high dose |
| Toxicity | Potent systemic poison. Toxic when inhaled, ingested, or upon contact with moist skin. Action is instantaneous, poison is rapidly absorbed through mucous membranes. Death occurs from respiratory center paralysis and cardiac arrest. |
| Shelf life and storage conditions | Store in tightly sealed gripper, away from acids, moisture, and heat sources. Shelf life - 1 year. |
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