The effect of potassium cyanide on humans and cyanide poisoning. Severe poisoning. Potassium cyanide: where it is found

And now it attracts close attention of many specialists. Cyanide compounds were used already in ancient times, although, of course, their chemical nature was not known then. So, the ancient Egyptian priests knew how to make essence from peach leaves, with which they killed guilty people. In Paris, in the Louvre, on a roll of papyrus there is a warning saying: "Do not pronounce the name of Iao on pain of punishment with a peach," and in the temple of Isis, an inscription was found: "Do not open, otherwise you will die from a peach." Now we know that the active ingredient here was hydrocyanic acid, which is formed in the process of enzymatic transformations of certain substances of plant origin. A number of prominent chemists of the past have studied the structure, production and use of cyanides. So, in 1811 Gay-Lussac first showed that hydrocyanic acid is a hydrogen compound of a radical consisting of carbon and nitrogen, and Bunsen in the middle of the 19th century. developed a method for the industrial production of potassium cyanide. It has been many years since potassium cyanide and other cyanides were important as drugs of deliberate poisoning and when forensic experts took particular interest in these fast-acting poisons. History knows the use of cyanides for mass destruction of people. For example, during the First World War, the French army used hydrocyanic acid as a poisonous substance, the Nazis used poisonous gases cyclones (esters of cyanoformic acid) in the Nazi extermination camps, the American troops in South Vietnam used toxic organic cyanides (gases of the CS type) against the civilian population. It is also known that in the United States the death penalty has been used for a long time by poisoning convicts with hydrocyanic acid vapor in a special cell.

Due to their high chemical activity and the ability to interact with numerous compounds of various classes, cyanides are widely used in many industries, agriculture, scientific research, and this creates many opportunities for intoxication. So, hydrocyanic acid and a large number of its derivatives are used in the extraction of precious metals from ores, in electroplating gilding and silvering, in the production of aromatic substances, chemical fibers, plastics, rubber, organic glass, plant growth stimulants, herbicides. Cyanides are also used as insecticides, fertilizers and defoliants. Hydrocyanic acid is released in a gaseous state during many industrial processes, and is also formed when cyanides come into contact with other acids and moisture. There may also be cyanide poisoning due to the consumption of large quantities of seeds of almonds, peaches, apricots, cherries, plums and other plants of the Rosaceae family or tinctures from their fruits. It turned out that they all contain the glycoside amygdalin, which decomposes in the body under the influence of the enzyme emulsin to form hydrocyanic acid, benzaldehyde and 2 glucose molecules:

The largest amount of amygdalin is found in bitter almonds, in the refined grains of which it is about 3%. Somewhat less amygdalin (up to 2%) in combination with emulsin is contained in apricot seeds. Clinical observations have shown that the death of the poisoned usually occurred after eating about 100 peeled apricot seeds, which corresponds to about 1 g of amygdalin. Like amygdalin, plant glycosides such as linamarin, found in flax, and laurocerazin, contained in the leaves of the cherry laurel tree, cleave off hydrocyanic acid. There are a lot of cyanide substances in young bamboos and their shoots (up to 0.15% of wet weight). In the animal kingdom, hydrocyanic acid is found in the secretion of the skin glands of the milipedes ( Fontaria gracilis).

The toxicity of cyanides for different species of animals is different. Thus, a high resistance to hydrocyanic acid is noted in cold-blooded animals, while many warm-blooded animals are very sensitive to it. As for man, it seems that he is more resistant to the action of hydrocyanic acid than some higher animals. This is confirmed, for example, by the experience put at great risk to himself by the famous English physiologist Barcroft, who, in a special chamber, together with a dog, was exposed to hydrocyanic acid at a concentration of 1: 6000. The experiment continued until the dog fell into a coma and seizures appeared. The experimenter at this time did not notice any signs of poisoning. Only 10–15 minutes after removing the dying dog from the chamber did he experience impaired attention and nausea.

There is a lot of data indicating the formation of cyanides in the human body under physiological conditions. Cyanides of endogenous origin are found in biological fluids, in exhaled air, in urine. It is believed that their normal level in blood plasma can reach 140 μg / l. In this regard, vitamin B 12 (cyanocobalamin) should also be mentioned, which, as you know, is a growth factor, which is necessary for the body for normal hematopoiesis and the functioning of the nervous system, liver and other organs. According to the chemical structure, vitamin B 12 is a complex polycyclic compound with a cobalt atom in the center of the molecule to which the CN group is attached.

The mechanism of the biological action of cyanides

Cyanides can penetrate into the internal environment of the body with poisoned food and water, as well as through damaged skin. The inhalation effect of volatile cyanides, primarily hydrocyanic acid and cyanogen chloride, is very dangerous. Back in the 60s of the 19th century, attention was drawn to the fact that venous blood flowing from the tissues and organs of animals poisoned with cyanide acquires a scarlet, arterial color. Later it was shown that it contains about the same amount of oxygen as in arterial blood. Consequently, under the influence of cyanide, the body loses its ability to absorb oxygen. Why is this happening?

Rice. 15. Diagram of the process of cellular oxidation. NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and NADP (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) - dehydrogenase coenzymes; FMN (flavin mononucleotide) and FAD (flavin adenine dinucleotide) - coenzymes of flavin enzymes; cV, cS, cS 1 cA - cytochromes; CA 3 - cytochrome oxidase

The answer to this question was obtained in Germany in the late 1920s in the works of Otto Warburg, who found that, penetrating into the bloodstream, cyanides very soon end up in cellular structures, primarily in mitochondria, where enzymatic processes of tissue oxidation (consumption oxygen cells). As seen from Fig. 15, the first link in these processes includes the elimination of hydrogen from the oxidizing substrate, while each hydrogen atom is divided into a proton and an electron. This part of oxidative reactions in cells is catalyzed by enzymes from the group of dehydrases, as well as by the so-called flavin (yellow) Warburg enzyme. The second link of cellular oxidation consists in the transfer of electrons to oxygen, which makes it possible for its interaction with activated hydrogen atoms (protons) and leads to the formation of one of the most important end products of oxidation - water molecules. This link of oxidative reactions functions due to a special group of enzymes - cytochromes and cytochrome oxidase, containing iron atoms of variable valence. It is this chemical property that is the source of electrons that attach to oxygen. As follows from the above scheme, electrons are sequentially transferred from one cytochrome to another, from them to cytochrome oxidase, and then to oxygen. In a figurative expression, "the chain of cytochromes is like a chain of basketball players passing the ball (electron) from one player to another, relentlessly bringing it closer to the basket (oxygen)." This final stage of cellular oxidation can be schematically represented in the form of the following two reactions:

1) 2 protein - R -Fe 2+ + 1 / 2O 2 2 protein - R - Fe 3+ + 1 / 2O 2 2-,

reduced oxidized

cytochrome oxidase cytochrome oxidase

2) 1 / 2O 2 2- + 2H +> H 2 O.

It turned out that hydrocyanic acid, more precisely CN-ion, due to a special chemical affinity for ferric iron selectively (although reversibly) interacts with oxidized molecules of cytochrome oxidase. Thus, the course of the normal process of tissue respiration is inhibited. Thus, by blocking one of the iron-containing respiratory enzymes, cyanides cause a paradoxical phenomenon: there is an excess of oxygen in the cells and tissues, but they cannot assimilate it, since it is chemically inactive. As a result, a pathological condition is quickly formed in the body, known as tissue, or histotoxic, hypoxia, which is manifested by suffocation, severe heart dysfunction, convulsions, paralysis. When non-lethal doses of poison enter the body, it is limited to a metallic taste in the mouth, redness of the skin and mucous membranes, dilated pupils, vomiting, shortness of breath and headache. On the other hand, if an animal organism is adapted to a low level of oxygen metabolism, then its sensitivity to cyanides decreases sharply. Prominent Russian pharmacologist N.P. Kravkov V. At the beginning of this century, an interesting fact was established: during hibernation, hedgehogs tolerate such doses of potassium cyanide, which are many times higher than lethal ones. N.P. Kravkov explained the resistance of hedgehogs to cyanide by the fact that during hibernation at low body temperatures, oxygen consumption is significantly reduced and animals better tolerate inhibition of its assimilation by cells. However, not all the poison that has entered the body interacts with respiratory enzymes. Some of it is released unchanged with exhaled air and is detoxified with the formation of harmless products in the blood due to reactions with sugars, sulfur-containing compounds, and oxygen. Probably, it is this circumstance that determines the absence of pronounced cumulative properties in hydrocyanic acid and other cyanides. In other words, when these poisons act in subtoxic doses, the body copes with them on its own, without outside interference. So, if the concentration of hydrocyanic acid in the inhaled air does not exceed 0.01–0.02 mg / l, then it turns out to be practically safe for several hours. An increase in the concentration of poison only up to 0.08-0.1 mg / l is already life-threatening due to the depletion of the protective mechanisms for neutralizing cyanides.

The ability of CN-ions to reversibly inhibit tissue respiration and thereby lower the level of metabolic processes unexpectedly turned out to be very valuable for the prevention and treatment of radiation injuries. This is due to the fact that in the mechanism of the damaging effect of ionizing radiation on cellular structures, the leading role is played by the products of water radiolysis (H2O2, H2O2, O, OH, etc.), which oxidize many macromolecules, including tissue respiration enzymes. Cyanides, by reversibly blocking these enzymes, protect them from the action of these biologically active substances formed under the influence of radiation. In other words, the cyanide-enzyme complex becomes relatively resistant to radiation. After radiation exposure, it dissociates due to a decrease in the concentration of CN-ions in the biophase due to their neutralization in the blood and excretion from the body. Amygdalin is the most widely used cyanide radioprotective agent. It is curious that more than 40 years ago, in experiments on several species of animals, the antiradiation (both therapeutic and prophylactic) effect of carbon monoxide was established. Experimental data indicate that the blockade of hemoglobin with carbon monoxide, and not its inhibition of tissue respiration enzymes, is of radioprotective significance. Apparently, this results in a general decrease in the level of oxygen exchange, which in turn reduces the formation of the above-mentioned oxygen-containing radicals. However, in practice, this property of carbon monoxide is not used, since it manifests itself at a high concentration of carboxyhemoglobin.

It follows from the structure of heparin that its molecule, which includes glucuronic and sulfurous acids, as well as glucosamine, cleaving off any of these components, will contribute to the detoxification of cyanides, and possibly the reactivation of cytochrome oxidase.

The neutralization of cyanides in the body can be achieved with the help of β-hydroxyethylmethyleneamine:

HO-CH 2 -CH 2 -N = CH 2 + HCN> HO-CH 2 -CH 2 -N

CH 3

This was shown by the experiments of VN Rosenberg. Apparently, under conditions of tissue hypoxia, hydroquinone unloads respiratory enzymes from excess electrons and, in addition, activates the dehydrase link of cellular oxidation, which is resistant to cyanides.

Interference in the processes of cellular oxidation is also characteristic of methylene blue as a drug capable of accepting hydrogen. Since in the mechanism of the toxic action of cyanides, the accumulation of protons (hydrogen nuclei) plays the role of a factor inhibiting the course of biological oxidation reactions, the binding of excess protons will stimulate these reactions. Therefore, in a sense, methylene blue should also be considered as a drug equivalent to one of the respiratory enzymes. However, it is almost impossible to clearly separate this action from the methemoglobin-forming one in cyanide intoxication.

Rice. 16. Comparative antidote efficacy of the most significant anticyanides

The comparative antidote efficacy of the most significant anticyanides, studied in experiments on dogs, is shown in Fig. 16, where the numbers in circles indicate the number of lethal doses that a given antidote or combination protects against. Long-term practice of experimental treatment of severe cyanide poisoning in our laboratory confirms these data. In particular, the combination of sodium nitrite and sodium thiosulfate proved to be particularly effective. Emergency intravenous sequential administration of these antidotes saved animals from death even in the convulsive-paralytic stage of intoxication.

Experience shows that along with the complex use of antidotes for the successful fight against cyanide intoxication, it is necessary to use such resuscitation measures as artificial respiration, stimulation of cardiac activity, inhalation of oxygen, etc. salts, developed about 30 years ago in Frankfurt am Main by one of the companies for the extraction of gold and silver from ores. Here are its main points:

"Keeping calm! Act quickly!

Remove the victim from the contaminated area; immediately remove the parts of clothing that are constraining the body, do not allow the patient to cool down (covers, heating pads) and call a doctor.

a) If the victim is still conscious, then ... break the ampoules with amyl nitrite and let the patient inhale for 10-15 seconds, but in general no more than 8 times. If cyanide gets inside when swallowing, prepare a mixture of 2 g of ferrous sulfate and 10 g of magnesium oxide in 100 cm 3 of water and give the victim to drink this mixture to induce vomiting (in no case give in case of loss of consciousness).

b) If the victim is unconscious, then immediately give vigorous artificial respiration ..., give amyl nitrite (as described in point "a"). Do not stop artificial respiration, especially on admission to the hospital, and continue artificial respiration until the patient regains consciousness. As soon as the doctor arrives, it is recommended that he inject ... a solution of sodium nitrite and, finally, with the same injection needle - ... a solution of sodium thiosulfate.

c) If cyanide gets into a wound or abrasion on the skin and splashes of hydrocyanic acid get on the skin, then these places should be thoroughly rinsed with water and then with 5% sodium bicarbonate solution ... to the eye doctor ".

Notes:

Sanotskiy IV Prevention of harmful chemical influences on humans is a complex task of medicine, ecology, chemistry and technology. - ZhVHO, 1974, No. 2, p. 125-142.

Gadaskina I. D. Theoretical and practical value of the study. transformation of poisons in the body. - In the book: Mater. scientific. session, up to 40th anniversary of the Research Institute of Occupational Health and prof. diseases. L., 1964, p. 43-45.

E. S. Koposov. Acute poisoning. - In the book: Reanimatology. M .: Medicine, 1976, p. 222-229.

It is said that Scheele himself became a victim of this poison during one of the experiments.

Singur N. A. Clinical picture, therapy and prevention of poisoning with apricot kernels. - In the book: Questions of forensic medical examination / Ed. M. I. Avdeeva. M .: Modgiz, 1954, p. 133-148.

Warburg O. Uber die katalytischen Wirkungen der lebendigen Substanz. Berlin, 1928.

Rose C, The Chemistry of Life. M .: Mir, 1969, p. 139.

It is interesting to note that cyanide poisoning was an experimental model, which was used to study the molecular mechanisms of oxygen uptake by cells.

Cit. Quoted from: Arbuzov S. Ya. Awakening and anti-drug effect of stimulants of the nervous system. L .: Medgiz, 1960.

Rogozkin V.D., Belousov B.P., Evseeva N.K. Radioprotective effect of cyanide compounds. M .: Medgiz, 1963.

Cit. Quoted from: N. S. Pravdin, Guide to Industrial Toxicology. M .; L .: Biomedgiz, 1934, no. I.

A prominent Soviet scientist, Academician of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences N.N.Savitsky (1946) presented a number of theoretical and clinical and experimental evidence of the protective, detoxifying effect of physiological methemoglobin in relation to endogenous cyanides. The author even showed that the amount of methemoglobin in the blood of healthy people can bind up to one third of the lethal dose of cyanide.

Cit. Quoted from: V.F. Melnikova, Hydrocyanic acid and cyanide compounds. - In the book: Guide to the toxicology of toxic substances / Ed. A.I. Cherkes, N.I. Lugansky, P.V. Rodionov. Kiev: Health, 1964.

For example, NaNO 2 in acute severe poisoning is initially introduced slowly in an amount of 10–20 ml of a 1–2% solution.

Kolesov OE, Cherepanova VN On the antidote effect of cobalt mercaptides in cyanide intoxication. - Pharmacol. and toxicol., 1964, no. 1, p. 167-173.

Nazarov G.F., Oksengendler G.I., Leikin Yu.I. On the antihypoxic effect of heparin. - In the book: Theoretical immunology - practical health care. Tallinn, 1978, p. 274-275.

Rosenberg V.N.About antidote properties of β-hydroxyethylmethyleneamine in cyanide poisoning. - Pharmacol. i toxicol., 1967, no. 1, p. 99-100.

Vinogradov V.M., Pastushenkov L.V., Frolov S.F.Use of electron acceptors for the prevention and treatment of oxygen starvation. - In the book: Research and pharmacological research of substances that increase the body's resistance to extreme influences. L., 1908, p. 111-116

Cit. Quoted from: Los K. Synthetic poisons / Per. with him. M .: Publishing house of foreign. lit., 1963, pp. 168-169.

INTRODUCTION 2

Cyanides are salts of hydrocyanic (hydrocyanic) acid. In the IUPAC nomenclature, cyanides also include C-derivatives of hydrocyanic acid - nitriles. Cyanides include a large group of chemical compounds derived from hydrocyanic (cyanic) acid. They all contain a cyano group - CN. Distinguish between inorganic cyanides (hydrocyanic acid, sodium and potassium cyanides, cyanogen, cyanogen chloride, cyanogen bromide, calcium cyanide) and organic cyanides (cyanoformic and cyanoacetic acid esters, nitriles, thiocyanates, glycoside amygdalin, etc.). 3

OBTAINING CYANIDES 3

APPLICATION OF CYANIDES 4

Organic cyanides are used for pest control in agriculture, organic synthesis, pharmaceutical industry, etc. 4

EFFECTS OF CYANIDES ON THE BODY 6

CYANIDE POISONING MEASURES 7

TREATMENT OF POISON 8

SYNYLIC ACID (HCN) 9

HUMAN POISONING WITH BLUE ACID 10

Effects on the nervous system 11

Effects on the respiratory system 11

Effects on the cardiovascular system 12

Changes in the blood system 12

SYMPTOMS OF SYNDIC ACID POISONING 13

TOXICITY OF CYANIDES FOR DIFFERENT ANIMAL SPECIES 14

INTERESTING FACTS 16

LIST OF REFERENCES 17

Introduction

At present, it is impossible to imagine a single type of human activity that is not directly or indirectly related to the effect on the body of chemicals, the number of which is tens of thousands and continues to grow. Among them are pesticides (insecticides, pesticides, herbicides), household preparations (paints, varnishes, solvents, synthetic detergents), medicinal substances, chemical additives to food products, cosmetics. Biologically active compounds of plant origin are of no small importance in this regard: alkaloids, glycosides, organic acids, many of which are not destroyed by drying, long-term storage, heat treatment of the plants themselves or the meat of animals poisoned by them.

Another group of poisons is formed as a result of the vital activity of microorganisms. Microbial poisons (for example, botulinum toxin) are sometimes hundreds of times superior to highly toxic synthetic substances in terms of their biological effect. It must also be borne in mind that there are many poisonous creatures in nature: arthropods, mollusks, fish, snakes, which can become dangerous to humans.

Leading toxicologists with justified concern and anxiety note that the rapid development of the chemical industry, the introduction of chemical technology in many sectors of the national economy and in everyday life create chemical pollution of the environment and a serious threat to public health, lead to significant economic losses (diseases and death of animals, ecologically related to humans, for example, fish, deterioration of the nutritional properties of agricultural plants, and much more).

WHAT IS CYANIDES Cyanides are highly toxic. Cyanides in the XX century were used as a poisonous substance against humans and rodents in agriculture. At the beginning of the 20th century, hydrocyanic acid was used by the French as a chemical warfare agent (OM), such as cyanogen chloride.

OBTAINING CYANIDES

The main method for producing alkali metal cyanides is the interaction of the corresponding hydroxide with hydrocyanic acid, in particular, this is the main industrial method for producing the largest-tonnage cyanide - sodium cyanide. Another industrial method for producing sodium cyanide is the fusion of calcium cyanamide with coal and sodium chloride or soda:

CaCN 2 + C + 2 NaCl 2 NaCN + CaCl 2

The melt formed in the process ("cyanplav", "black cyanide") contains 40 - 47% cyanides in terms of NaCN and is used for the cyanidation of steel, and was also used as a raw material for the production of sodium and potassium cyanides, as well as yellow blood salt.

Other cyanides are obtained mainly by exchange reactions of alkali metal cyanides with the corresponding salts.

Alkali metal cyanides can also be obtained by the interaction of a metal with cyanogen:

N≡C-C≡N + 2Na 2NaCN

or from thiocyanates, heating them in the presence of iron powder.

Author V.I.Petrov, T.I. Revyako

HYDROCYANIC ACID

Until now, hydrocyanic acid is considered the most important representative of cyanides. This light volatile liquid with a characteristic smell of bitter almonds is a very strong poison: in the amount of 0.05 g, it already causes fatal poisoning in humans. Hydrocyanic acid, obtained for the first time in pure form in the 80s of the 18th century by the Swedish pharmacist and chemist Karl Scheele (they claim that Scheele himself became a victim of this poison during one of the experiments) and now attracts the close attention of many specialists.

Cyanide compounds were used already in ancient times, although, of course, their chemical nature was not known then. So, the ancient Egyptian priests knew how to make essence from peach leaves, with which they killed guilty people. In Paris, in the Louvre, on a roll of papyrus there is a warning saying: "Do not pronounce the name of Iao on pain of punishment with a peach", and in the temple of Isis, an inscription was found: "Do not open - otherwise you will die from a peach."

Now we know that the active ingredient here was hydrocyanic acid, which is formed in the process of enzymatic transformations of certain substances of plant origin. A number of prominent chemists of the past have studied the structure, production and use of cyanides. So, in 1811 Gay-Lussac first showed that hydrocyanic acid is a hydrogen compound of a radical consisting of carbon and nitrogen, and Bunsen in the middle of the 19th century. developed a method for the industrial production of potassium cyanide. It has been many years since potassium cyanide and other cyanides were important as drugs of deliberate poisoning and when forensic experts took particular interest in these fast-acting poisons.

History knows the use of cyanides for mass destruction of people. For example, during the First World War, the French army used hydrocyanic acid as a poisonous substance, the Nazis used poisonous gases cyclones (esters of cyanoformic acid) in the Nazi extermination camps, and the American troops in South Vietnam used toxic organic cyanides against the civilian population. It is also known that in the United States the death penalty has been used for a long time by poisoning convicts with hydrocyanic acid vapor in a special cell.

Due to their high chemical activity and the ability to interact with numerous compounds of various classes, cyanides are widely used in many industries, agriculture, and scientific research, and this creates many opportunities for research. Thus, hydrocyanic acid and a large number of its derivatives are used in the extraction of precious metals from ores, in electroplating and silvering, in the production of aromatic substances, chemical fibers, plastics, rubber, organic glass, plant growth stimulants, and herbicides. Cyanides are also used as insecticides, fertilizers and defoliants.

Hydrocyanic acid is released in a gaseous state during many industrial processes, and is also formed when cyanides come into contact with other acids and moisture. There may also be cyanide poisoning due to the consumption of large quantities of seeds of almonds, peaches, apricots, cherries, plums and other plants of the Rosaceae family or tinctures from their fruits. It turned out that they all contain the glycoside amygdalin, which decomposes in the body under the influence of the enzyme emulsin to form hydrocyanic acid, benzaldehyde and 2 glucose molecules.

The largest amount of amygdalin is found in bitter almonds, in the refined grains of which it is about 3%. Somewhat less amygdalin (up to 2%) in combination with emulsin is contained in apricot seeds. Clinical observations have shown that the death of the poisoned usually occurred after eating about 100 peeled apricot seeds, which corresponds to about 1 g of amygdalin. Like amygdalin, plant glycosides such as linamarin, found in flax, and laurocerazin, found in the leaves of the cherry tree, cleave off hydrocyanic acid. There are a lot of cyanide substances in young bamboos and their shoots (up to 0.15% of wet weight). In the animal kingdom, hydrocyanic acid is found in the secretion of the cutaneous glands of the milipedes.

The toxicity of cyanides for different species of animals is different. Thus, a high resistance to hydrocyanic acid is noted in cold-blooded animals, while many warm-blooded animals are very sensitive to it. As for man, it seems that he is more resistant to the action of hydrocyanic acid than some higher animals. This is confirmed, for example, by the experiment made at great risk to himself by the famous English physiologist Barcroft, who, in a special chamber, together with a dog, was exposed to hydrocyanic acid at a concentration of 18: 6000. The experiment continued until the dog fell into a coma and seizures appeared. The experimenter at this time did not notice any signs of poisoning. Only after 10 - 15 minutes. after removing the dying dog from the chamber, he showed impaired attention and nausea.

Thus, the course of the normal process of tissue respiration is inhibited. Thus, by blocking one of the iron-containing respiratory enzymes, cyanides cause a paradoxical phenomenon: there is an excess of oxygen in the cells and tissues, but they cannot assimilate it, since it is chemically inactive. As a result, a pathological condition is quickly formed in the body, known as tissue, or histotoxic, hypoxia, which is manifested by suffocation, convulsions, paralysis. When non-lethal doses of poison enter the body, it is limited to a metallic taste in the mouth, redness of the skin and mucous membranes, dilated pupils, vomiting, shortness of breath and headache.

On the other hand, if an animal organism is adapted to a low level of oxygen metabolism, then its sensitivity to cyanides decreases sharply. At the beginning of this century, the outstanding Russian pharmacologist N.P. Kravkov established an interesting fact: during hibernation, hedgehogs tolerate doses of potassium cyanide that are many times higher than lethal ones. N.P. Kravkov explained the resistance of hedgehogs to cyanide by the fact that during hibernation at low body temperatures, oxygen consumption is significantly reduced and animals better tolerate inhibition of its assimilation by cells.

Cyanides have poisoned or committed suicide by many historically famous people.

GERING Hermann (1893 - 1946) - Nazi war criminal, commander-in-chief of the air force during the fascist dictatorship in Germany, Reichsmarschall. The International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg sentenced him to death by hanging.

The execution of the Nazi criminals was scheduled for October 16. On the evening of October 15, Colonel Andrews, who was in charge of guarding the prison where the convicts were located, rushed into the journalists' room and, perplexed, announced that Goering had died. Having somewhat calmed down, Andrews said that the guard soldier who was on duty at the door of Goering's cell suddenly heard a strange wheezing. He immediately called the duty officer and the doctor. When they entered the cell, Goering was in his death throes. The doctor found small pieces of glass in his mouth and pronounced death from poisoning with cyanide potassium.

After some time, the Austrian journalist Bleibtray publicly declared that it was he who helped Goering die. Allegedly, before the start of the hearing, he made his way into the hall and, with the help of chewing gum, attached an ampoule with poison to the dock. The sensation brought Bleibtrego a lot of money, although it was deceitful from start to finish - at the time, the conference room was better guarded than any other place in Europe. A few years later, the same thing as the Austrian journalist, said Obergruppenführer Bach-Zelewski, released from prison. But he attributed the transfer of the poison to Goering to himself. Perhaps both of them are lying. M. Yu. Raginsky believes that the poison was transferred to Goering through an American security officer for a substantial bribe. And it was handed over by Goering's wife, who came to her husband a few days before the appointed date for the execution of the sentence.

HIMMLER Heinrich (1900 - 1945) - Nazi war criminal, chief of the Gestapo, minister of the interior and commander of the reserve army in Germany.

On May 20, 1945, Himmler decided to flee. On May 23, he was detained by the British and placed in camp 031 near the city of Luneburg.

The British found an ampoule with potassium cyanide in Himmler's clothes. We didn't stop there. A doctor was called and examined the arrested person for the second time. Himmler opened his mouth and the doctor saw something black between his teeth. He pulled Himmler towards the light, but then the former SS Reichsfuehrer snapped his teeth - he gnawed at the hidden capsule. After a few seconds, Himmler gave up his ghost.

HITLER Adolf (pseudonym, real name Schicklgruber) (1889 - 1945) - leader of the National Socialist Party, head of the German state in 1933 - 1945.

His death is described in two main versions.

According to the first version, based on the testimony of Hitler's personal valet Linge, the Fuhrer and Eva Braun shot themselves at 15.30. When Linge and Bormann entered the room, Hitler was allegedly sitting on a sofa in the corner, a revolver was lying on the table in front of him, blood was flowing from his right temple. Dead Eva Braun, who was in another corner, dropped her revolver to the floor.

Another version (accepted by almost all historians) says: Hitler and Eva Braun poisoned themselves with potassium cyanide. Before his death, Hitler also poisoned two beloved shepherd dogs.

RASPUTIN (Novykh) Grigory Efimovich (1864/186 5 - 1916) - the favorite of Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna.

In 1916, another conspiracy was drawn up against Rasputin. Its main participants were Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, famous politician Vladimir Purishkevich and military doctor S. S. Lazavet. The conspirators lured Rasputin to Yusupov's palace in St. Petersburg, agreeing to kill him there, and throw his body into the river, under the ice. For the murder, cakes filled with poison were prepared, and vials of potassium cyanide, which were going to be mixed into the wine.

Upon Rasputin's arrival at the palace, the owner received him, while Purishkevich, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich and Doctor Lazavert were waiting upstairs in another room.

Purishkevich, describing the murder of the tsarist favorite as a feat committed by the conspirators to save Russia in his davnik, nevertheless pays tribute to Rasputin's courage:

“Another good half hour of the time that was utterly painfully passing for us, when at last we clearly heard the clapping of two traffic jams one after the other, the clink of glasses, after which the interlocutors who had been talking downstairs suddenly fell silent.

We froze in our positions, going down a few more steps down the stairs. But ... another quarter of an hour passed, and the peaceful conversation and even sometimes laughter from below did not stop.

“I don’t understand,” spreading my hands and turning to the Grand Duke, I whispered to him.

We went up the stairs and with the whole group walked back into the study, where two or three minutes later Yusupov entered silently again, upset and pale.

“No,” he says, “it's impossible! Imagine, he drank two glasses of poison, ate several pink cakes, and, as you can see, nothing; absolutely nothing, and after that, at least fifteen minutes have passed! , what should we do, especially since he was already worried why the countess didn’t come out to him for so long, and I explained with difficulty that it was difficult for her to disappear unnoticed, for there were not many guests up there ...; he was now sitting gloomy on the sofa , and, as I see, the effect of the poison affects him only in the fact that he has incessant belching and some salivation ... "

Five minutes later, Yusupov appeared in the office for the third time.

"Gentlemen," he told us quickly, "the situation is still the same: the poison either does not work on him, or does not suit him to hell; time is running out, you can’t wait any longer."

"But what about?" - said Dmitry Pavlovich.

“If you can't use poison,” I answered him, “you need to go all-in, in the open, go down for all of us together, or leave it to me alone, I’ll lay him down either from my co-vazha, or I’ll crush his skull with knuckle dusters. will you say this? "

"Yes," Yusupov noted, "if you put the question this way, then, of course, you will have to stop at one of these methods."

In the United States, a type of execution is used that is clearly analogous to the Nazis' "gas chambers".

The execution technology is as follows: "The convict is tied to a chair in a sealed chamber. A stethoscope is attached to his chest, connected to headphones in the adjacent witness room and used by the doctor to monitor the execution. Cyanide gas is fed into the chamber, poisoning the convict when inhaled. Death occurs as a result. suffocation caused by the suppression of respiratory enzymes by cyanide gas, which ensure the delivery of oxygen by the blood to the cells of the body.

Although unconsciousness sets in quickly, the entire procedure can take longer if the convict tries to delay the onset of death by holding or slowing down his breathing. As with other methods of execution, regardless of whether the convict is unconscious or not, the vital organs can continue to function for a long time. "

In Mississippi, on September 2, 1983, a certain Jimmy Lee Gray was executed by gas poisoning. During the execution, his body twitched convulsively for 8 minutes in a row; he sighed 11 times with his mouth wide open, without ceasing to bang his head against the crossbar behind the back of the chair. According to witnesses, Lee Gray did not look dead even after the execution was completed, when the prison administration asked them to leave the witness room, separated from the execution room by thick glass.

What do Grigory Rasputin, Vladimir Lenin and an unknown elephant named Yambo have in common? A lover of action-packed detective novels, in which insidious crimes are accompanied by an almond scent, can easily answer this question.

Potassium cyanide is a substance that has become an effective substitute for the "royal poison" and has taken part in many political strife, where it was necessary to remove statesmen objectionable to the regime from the road. At one time they tried to deal with this poison not only with the power-hungry old man, the leader of the CP and other prominent persons, but also with the unfortunate animal from the Odessa circus. Moreover, the elephant Yambo went down in history because his poisoning, like the poisoning of Rasputin, was not crowned with success.

This most powerful inorganic poison is not available to the average person today, so cyanide poisoning is very rare. However, the industry uses enough poisonous and toxic substances to suffer without even being the hero of an Agatha Christie novel.

Observance of precautions for contact with hazardous chemical compounds is often not enough and it is necessary to know how potassium cyanide affects a person in order to provide first aid in a timely manner.

What is potassium cyanide and what is it eaten with

It is not known for certain when humanity first became acquainted with the derivatives of hydrocyanic acid and their properties. Cyanides boast an ancient origin and rich history: for the first time these substances were mentioned by the ancient Egyptians, who obtained them from peach seeds.

The assumption of a deadly poison in such a popular delicacy seems absurd, nevertheless, more than two and a half hundred plants of the plum genus have similar properties. Why until now has no one been poisoned by eating the fruits of these trees?

The secret is quite simple: the poison is found in fruit pits. During metabolism, a natural glycoside called amygdalin is broken down by enzymes in gastric juice and forms toxic compounds. After hydrolysis, the amygdalin molecule loses glucose and decomposes into benzaldehyde and hydrocyanic acid.

In the medical literature, there are no reported deaths from eating fruit, as cyanide poisoning requires a lot of raw seeds to be eaten. However, a child can be poisoned by swallowing 10 or more seeds, so parents need to be extremely careful.

Jams, compotes, tinctures from these fruits actually do not pose a threat, even if the seeds are not removed from the fruits. After heat treatment and conservation, amygdalin loses its toxic properties, and the potassium salt of hydrocyanic acid itself is highly soluble in water and alcohol.

Cyanide itself is an unremarkable white powder, but its compounds with iron molecules differ in a variety of shades of blue. Due to this property, the substance is more popularly known among the people under the name "blue", and one of the most famous dyes based on it is Prussian blue. It was from this substance that it was first chemically synthesized by a Swedish scientist.

Areas of human activity in which cyanide can be encountered today:

agriculture and entomology (used as an insecticide);
mining and processing production;
creation of electroplated coatings;
manufacturing of plastics and plastic products;
development of photographic film;
production of dyes for fabrics and paints for artists of all shades of blue;
military affairs (during the days of Nazi Germany).

Industrial enterprises that actively use potassium cyanide can be dangerous even for the unemployed population. Poisonous wastewater pollutes water bodies and causes death of their inhabitants and mass poisoning among people.

It has been proven that the sense of smell is largely dependent on the genetic characteristics of a person. The characteristic almond aroma appears during the hydrolysis of hydrocyanic acid - the smell of hydrogen cyanide, which is released during the process. There is a possibility of poisoning with the vapors of this substance, therefore it is highly not recommended to check empirically what cyanide smells like.

How Potassium Cyanide Works

It is believed that when a small amount of this substance enters the stomach, instant death occurs. This statement is only half true.

Indeed, potassium cyanide is a dangerous poison for humans, but in fact, the use of this substance does not entail an instant death. The mechanism of its action on the human body is more complex than it might seem:

A special enzyme, cytochrome oxidase, is responsible for the assimilation of oxygen at the cellular level. During studies in test animals, venous blood was bright scarlet, like arterial. This indicated that when ingested, the poison blocks this enzyme.
Further, there is a violation of oxygen metabolism and oxygen starvation of cells occurs. Oxygen molecules circulate freely in the blood, associated with hemoglobin.
Gradually, cells begin to die, the normal functioning of internal organs is disrupted, and then their activity ceases altogether.
The result is death, which by all indications resembles suffocation.

It can be seen that death from cyanide poisoning does not occur immediately, but a person can lose consciousness very quickly due to a lack of oxygen.

The defeat of the body is possible not only when the poison enters the stomach, but also when inhaling its vapors and when it comes into contact with the skin (especially in the places of their damage).

How does poisoning manifest

As in the case of most intoxications, the result of a person's collision with this poison can take both acute and chronic forms.

Acute poisoning manifests itself immediately after a few minutes after ingestion of the poison or inhalation of cyanide powder. This effect of potassium cyanide on humans is due to the fact that the substance is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream through the mucous membranes of the oral cavity and stomach.

Poisoning can be roughly divided into four main phases, each of which is characterized by special features:

The first prodromal phase, during which symptoms are just beginning to appear:

discomfort and bitterness in the mouth;
sore throat, irritation of the mucous membranes;
increased salivation;
slight numbness of the mucous membranes;
dizziness accompanied by nausea and vomiting;
compressive pain in the chest.

At the second stage, there is an active development of oxygen starvation of the body:

drop in pressure, slowing heart rate and pulse;
increased pain and heaviness in the piles;
shortness of breath, shortness of breath;
general weakness, severe dizziness;
redness and protrusion of the eyes as if suffocating, dilated pupils;
the appearance of a feeling of fear, panic.

The above picture is complemented by convulsive twitching, convulsions, involuntary defecation and urination may occur. When using a lethal dose, the patient loses consciousness.
Death is inevitable at this stage. Death occurs 20-40 minutes after the first signs appear as a result of respiratory paralysis and cardiac arrest.

In full force, the poison acts in the body for about four hours. If during this time death does not occur, then the patient, as a rule, remains alive. But even after complete recovery, there is a disruption in the activity of areas of the cerebral cortex, the functionality of which is no longer possible to restore.

Human life can be saved if you immediately call an ambulance and promptly provide first aid before the arrival of the medical team:

to provide the patient with free breathing;
take off squeezing clothes and things that may have gotten poisonous;
rinse the stomach as soon as possible with plenty of water, a weak solution of potassium permanganate or soda.

If the victim is unconscious, it is necessary, if possible, to resuscitate him with the help of artificial respiration and heart massage. Upon the arrival of the doctor, the patient will be injected with a specific antidote, which neutralizes the effect of the poison.

Such poisoning is very serious and dangerous, therefore, treatment should take place in a hospital and be prescribed after examining the patient and taking his tests.

Antivenom for potassium cyanide

According to the latest news in the field of chemistry and biology, a new fast-acting cyanide antidote has recently been invented. Scientists claim that this substance can detoxify the toxin within three minutes. However, it has not yet become widespread, and the antidotes used by modern medicine are very slow.

Help, as a rule, is provided with the help of nitrogenous substances and compounds that easily release sulfur from the group of methemoglobin-forming agents. There are several varieties of such antidotes, which differ in the way they are used, but they operate according to the same principle: they "strip" oxygen from hemoglobin so that it gets the ability to cleanse cells of toxin. Most often, the victim is given a sniff of amyl nitrite, sodium nitrite or methyl blue is injected intravenously in the form of a solution.

One of the most unexpected antidotes and the reason for the failure of the killers of Rasputin and the elephant Yambo is glucose. They tried to regale both of them with sweets stuffed with cyanide. When the poison has already entered the bloodstream, glucose is useless and can only serve as an auxiliary agent for the treatment of poisoning, but it can weaken the effect of the toxin by entering into synthesis with it. Sulfur has the same property, the presence of which in the victim's stomach in large quantities reduces the effectiveness of the poison.

Industrial workers exposed to potassium cyanide take precautions and often use sugar as an additional remedy. However, this cannot fully protect against the accumulation of toxic substances in the body. If you suspect chronic poisoning, you must undergo a medical examination to prescribe the correct treatment.

There is no return "(W. Shakespeare). When ingested, cyanide has an inhibitory effect. Or, for mere mortals, it creates conditions under which the cells of the body stop assimilating the oxygen contained in the blood. And then a kind of suffocation occurs at the cellular level. Fearfully? In this place, it seems, you can put up a cross in all senses and condemn the substance to eternal torment in the ninth hell, where it itself sent many people. But ... not everything is so simple. It turns out that potassium cyanide has overgrown with a mass of legends during its existence.

Cyanide mythology

Debunking myths.

A bit of history

In the days of Ancient Rome, there were such special people - fortune-tellers or priests. They chewed laurel leaves and then gave a roundup of news for the upcoming reporting period. And if it's no joke, they had strong hallucinations, which were of great importance in those days. And, as you may have guessed, the reason for this was precisely bay leaves or common lavrushka, which today is successfully used in cooking.

Indeed, the leaves of this plant contain potassium cyanide, or rather hydrocyanic acid, like many other substances. But it was thanks to the poison in micro doses that the rulers of the Roman Empire received the "blessing of the gods" or their "disfavor".

And again the question is, what about cooking? Stop using such a pleasant spice? Not at all! Let's remember that dried leaves are added to the soup, which is unknown how much were stored first in the supplier's warehouse, and then in the store. And the priests preferred fresh food. So ... bon appetit!

And a few more words

Not so simple.

Not everything is so simple with potassium cyanide. He is both dangerous and not entirely. He can "connect with the gods" or send them straight to an audience without a return ticket. In any case, you should not once again experiment with this extremely dangerous substance, which humanity has unfortunately allocated to itself.