There is increasing interest in using the cyanogenic properties of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to develop a nonmicrobiological method for its detection. Prior to this, the variation in cyanide production between different P. aeruginosa strains needs to be investigated. Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) released into the gas phase by 96 genotyped P. aeruginosa samples was measured using selected ion flow tube-m...

Utilizing cyanide compounds in mining and chemical industry is one of the most important environmental issues due to the acute toxic properties of many cyanide compounds to humans and aquatic life. Cyanide tends to react readily with most other chemical elements, producing a wide variety of toxic, cyanide related compounds. This research was aimed at investigating a feasible and economical tech...

The stem and bulb nematode (Ditylenchus dipsaci) is a serious quarantine pest of vegetables spreading worldwide via seed and planting material. Currently, a hot water technique is used as the pre-seed treatment, which is difficult to execute and the risk of seed damage is high. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the (a) penetration of gaseous hydrogen cyanide (HCN) into garlic tissue...

Cyanogenesis denotes a chemical defensive strategy where hydrogen cyanide (HCN, hydrocyanic or prussic acid) is produced, stored, and released toward an attacking enemy. The high toxicity and volatility of HCN requires both chemical stabilization for storage and prevention of accidental self-poisoning. The few known cyanogenic animals are exclusively mandibulate arthropods (certain myriapods an...

Cyanogenic glucosides are among the most widespread defense chemicals of plants. Upon plant tissue disruption, these glucosides are hydrolyzed to a reactive hydroxynitrile that releases toxic hydrogen cyanide (HCN). Yet many mite and lepidopteran species can thrive on plants defended by cyanogenic glucosides. The nature of the enzyme known to detoxify HCN to β-cyanoalanine in arthropods has rem...

For some time there has been wordwide concern for the health risks of cigarette smoking. In several countries, including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, surveys of the tar and nicotine delivered by commercial brands of cigarettes are carried out and published. Recently carbon monoxide levels have also been measured. The combustion of tobacco products such as cigarettes also pr...

The experiment studied the effect of harvesting frequencies and varieties on yield, chemical composition and hydrogen cyanide content in cassava foliage. Foliage from three cassava varieties, K94 (very bitter), K98-7 (medium bitter) and a local (sweet), were harvested in three different cutting cycles, at 3, 6 and 9 months; 6 and 9 months and 9 months after planting, in a 2-yr experiment carrie...

Ab initio quantum chemistry calculations have been performed to probe the influence of hydrogen bonding on the electronic structure of hydrogen cyanide (HCN). Our calculations determine the origin of nitrogen-specific Raman spectral features from resonant inelastic X-ray scattering occurring in the presence of a water molecule and an electric dipole field. The similarity of the two interactions...

A versatile, continuous wave, optical parametric oscillator is used in combination with photoacoustic spectroscopy for long-term trace gas experiments of volatile compounds emitted by biological samples. The optical parametric oscillator-based spectrometer (wavelength near 3 μm, 8-MHz linewidth, output power ∼1 W) is successfully tested for the detection of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) emission from ...