Hydrogen Cyanide (in Cigs)
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Hydrogen Cyanide is one of the many chemicals found in cigarettes.
Hydrogen Cyanide is the chemical whose formula is HCN.
Pure hydrogen cyanide is a colourless, highly poisonous,
and volatile liquid that boils slightly above room temperature at 26 °C,
becoming hydrogen cyanide gas. A solution of hydrogen
cyanide dissolved in water is called hydrocyanic acid or prussic
acid.
A concentration of only 300 parts of Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) per million of air can kill a person within a 10-60 minutes. Higher concentrations result in death after a shorter duration of time. The toxicity is caused by the cyanide ion. Hydrogen cyanide (under the brand name Zyklon B) was used by the Nazi regime in 1940s Germany as a method of mass-execution in the gas chambers of concentration camps in Germany and occupied countries. It is now listed under schedule 3 of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Note that the list of chemicals included in this section (see the list on the left) is not a complete list of all the substances found in cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products.
