Action Of Cyanide Research Articles

Further Studies on Etiology of Goiter with Particular Reference to the Action of Cyanides

The immediate cause of thyroid hyperplasia in all probability is a relative or an absolute deficiency of iodine.1 The fundamental or essential cause of goiter is unknown, but the search for the essential cause, as we have often suggested, appears to resolve itself into determining the cause or causes of the iodine deficiency. As most iodine deficiencies are relative rather than absolute, the search further limits itself largely to determining the factors which create the increased needs of the organism for the iodine containing hormone. The simplest way of increasing the need of the thyroid for iodine would be by depressing the utilization of oxygen in the tissues, and the discovery by Chesney and Webster2 that the prolonged feeding of cabbage caused thyroid hyperplasia in rabbits appeared to offer a practical means of testing this hypothesis.It has been shown that there are great seasonal and climatic variations in the goitrogenic activity of cabbage,3 that drying in a current of air or in vacuo causes a...

The physiological action of cyanide.—I. The effects of cyanide on the respiration and sugar content of the potato at 15° C

The interest which attaches to tire physiological action of cyanide arises from the strong inhibitory effect upon the respiratory processes of the cell. This inhibition of cell respiration is interpreted as a specific poisoning of the catalysts responsible for tissue oxidations, since effects of a similar nature are well known in many oxidation systems of both biological and non-biological origin. Amongst the variety of animal and plant tissues studied, an inhibitory action of cyanide upon respiration has been observed in all but a few cases, and attention has been focussed almost entirely upon this effect. The extent of the inhibition appears to vary considerably according to both the kind and condition of the tissue, and at present the interpretation of these differences remains somewhat controversial. This aspect of the action of cyanide will not, however, be discussed in the present paper since we shall be concerned more particularly with an effect of cyanide which has not been recognised hitherto, although possible indications of its existence are to be found in the observations of other authors.

THE MECHANISM OF THE FORMATION OF THIURAM AND XANTHOGEN MONOSULPHIDES, AND OBSERVATIONS ON THIOCARBAMYL THIOCYANATES

The mechanism of the desulphurizing action of alkali cyanides on thiuram and xanthogen disulphides has been determined. The reaction is shown to take place in two steps, the intermediate products formed in the first step have been identified as disubstituted thiocarbamyl thiocyanates. These thiocyanates belong to a hitherto unknown series of organic sulphur compounds.Two methods for the preparation of the new thiocarbamyl thiocyanates are described.The mechanism of the formation of monoxanthogens by the action of acid chlorides on xanthates is shown to be similar to the formation of monosulphides by the action of cyanides on disulphides.The following new compounds are described: mixed thioanhydride of ethyl carbonic and isopropyl xanthic acids, C2H6OC (O)S.CS.OC3H7 liquid; methyl phenyl thiocarbamyl isopropylxanthyl sulphide, C6H5(CH3)N.CS.S.CS.OC3H7, m.p. 42 °C.; ethylphenyl thiocarbamyl isopropylxanthyl sulphide, C6H5(C2H5)N.-CS.S.CS.OC3H7, m.p.41 °C.; methylphenyl thiocarbamyl thiocyanate C6H5(CH3)-N.CS.SCN m.p. 113.5–114 °C.; ethylphenyl thiocarbamyl thiocyanate, C6H5(C2H5)N.CS.SCN, m.p. 75.5 °C.; methyl p-tolyl thiocarbamyl thiocyanate p-CH3C6H4(CH3)N.CS.SCN, m.p. 116.5 °C.: methyl p-tolyl thiocarbamyl chloride, p-CH3C6H4(CH3)N.CS.Cl, m.p. 53–54 °C.; ethyl o-tolyl thiocarbamyl chloride, o-CH3C6H4(C2H5)N.CS.Cl, m.p. 69 °C.; α1 methylphenyl α11 phenyl dithiobiuret, C6H5(CH3).N.C.S.NH.CS.NHC6H5, m.p. 123 °C.

Physiological Action of Cyanide on Protoplasm.

Since it is known that hydrogen cyanide passes through living membranes very rapidly,1 it was thought desirable to ascertain whether the toxicity of cyanide is due to its action on the internal protoplasm or to its effect on the cell membrane. In this study a small species of amoeba of the proteus group was used. Some individuals were immersed in aqueous solutions of hydrogen cyanide or potassium cyanide and others were injected with the same solutions by means of the Chamber's micro-manipulator. The concentrations of cyanide ranged from N/100 to N/3000 and the pH values used were 6.8 and 7.4. The animals were studied under direct-illuminated and dark-field microscopes and the rate of Brownian movement was used as an index of viscosity of the protoplasm.By means of a micro-pipette, aqueous solutions of HCN and KCN were injected into the amoeba in amounts equal to nearly one half the volume of the animal; the cyanide quickly diffused throughout the protoplasm, producing a decrease in viscosity, as was evid...

The action of cyanides on bacteria

The action of cyanides on bacteria

The action of potassium cyanide on the chlorophyll mechanism of Nereocystis

In connection with studies on the nature of the action of cyanide on cell respiration, it seemed of interest to test the effect which cyanide might have upon the mechanism of photosynthesis.Strips 1× 10 cm. cut from the frond of the large, Pacific coast kelp Nereocystis were used, and oxygen production was taken as a measure of photosynthesis using Winkler's method for determination of oxygen.That potassium cyanide (.00008 mol in the experiment given) can produce an apparently complete but reversible inhibition of photosynthesis is shown by the following condensed statement of results from a typical experiment.Photodynamic sensitization occurs when strips are exposed to light in the presence of higher concentrations (in the experiment cited below .00016 mol.) of cyanide. Injury occurs in proportion to the concentration of cyanide, as shown by table 2, which gives the degree of recovery of the strips, and the mechanism of photosynthesis in terms of capacity to produce oxygen in pure sea water in light, aft...

The Action of Cyanides and Nitriles on the Spontaneous Oxidation of Cystein

The Action of Cyanides and Nitriles on the Spontaneous Oxidation of Cystein

A NOTE ON THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF SEGMENTING ARBACIA AND ASTERIAS EGGS TO CYANIDES

Previous articleNext article FreeJournal ArticlesA NOTE ON THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF SEGMENTING ARBACIA AND ASTERIAS EGGS TO CYANIDESA. P. MATHEWSA. P. MATHEWS Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Biological Bulletin Volume 11, Number 3August 1906 Published in association with the Marine Biological Laboratory Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2307/1535532 Views: 25Total views on this site © 1906 Marine Biological LaboratoryPDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

II. On the action of chloride of iodine on iodide of ethylene and propylene gas

I have already shown that the cyanides of the diatomic radicals can be prepared by submitting their bromides to the action of cyanide of potassium. In the hope of forming the cyanides of the triatomic radicals in a similar manner, I subjected the bromides of several of these latter radicals to the action of the same reagent. Finding, how ever, the reaction not quite satisfactory, it occurred to me that the iodides of these radicals might possibly yield better results.

IV. On the synthesis of succinic and pyrotartaric acids

Succinic acid bears the same relation to the diatomic alcohol glycol that propionic acid bears to ordinary alcohol. Propionic acid can be obtained by treating the cyanide of the alcohol radical with potash. Can succinic acid be obtained by treating the cyanide of the glycol radical with the same reagent ? or is it an isomeric acid that is formed under those circumstances? C 4 H 5 Cy + O 2 { K H +2HO = O 2 Cyanide of Ethyle. { C 6 H 5 O 2 K + NH 3 Propionate Potash. C 4 H 4 Cy 2 + 2{O 2 { K H + 4HO = O 4 Cyanide of Ethylene. { C 8 H 4 O 4 K 2 + 2NH 3 Succinate of Potash? The following experiments were performed with the view of determining this point. Preparation of Cyanide of Ethylene . As a preliminary step to the formation of succinic acid in this way, it became of course necessary to prepare the cyanide of ethylene. This body I obtained by submitting bromide of ethylene to the action of cyanide of potassium. The process was thus conducted:—A mixture of two equivalents of the cyanide and one of the bromide, together with a considerable quantity of alcohol, was exposed in well-corked soda-water bottles to the temperature of a water-bath for about sixteen hours. To prevent the caking of the salt, it is advisable to have some coarsely-powdered glass in the bottles, and to agitate them occasionally. At the expiration of this time the bottles were opened, and the alcohol separated and distilled. A semifluid residue was thus obtained, which was filtered at 100° Cent. It was very dark in colour, owing to the presence of a considerable quantity of a tarry matter, which embarrassed me for a long time. This I at last succeeded in removing, by exposing the residue to a powerful freezing mixture, and pressing it, while in the mixture, between folds of bibulous paper, as long as the paper was stained. After this treatment there remained a crystalline mass, which was almost white. This was finally washed with a small quantity of ether, and dissolved in the same fluid. The residue obtained on evaporating the etherial solution is the body in question. It was dried at 100° Cent., and analysed. The nunbers obtained agree with the formula of cyanide of ethylene (C 4 H 4 Cy 2 ), as will be seen from the following Table:— Theory. Experiment. per cent. I. II. C 8 . . 48·00 60·00 59·20 —— H 4 . . 4·00 5·00 5·55 —— N 2 . . 28·00 35·00 —— 34·00* ——— ——— 80·00 100·00 This is, I believe, the first example of a diatomic cyanide. It has the following properties:-Below the temperature of 37° Cent, it is a crystalline solid of a light-brown colour, above that temperature it is a fluid oil. It cannot be distilled. Nevertheless it bears a tolerably high temperature without suffering much decomposition. Its specific gravity at 45° Cent, is 1·023. It is very soluble in water and alcohol, and sparingly soluble in ether. It has an acrid disagreeable taste. It is neutral to test-paper. Gently warmed with potassium, it is decomposed, cyanide of potassium being formed in large quantity. Its solution in water is not precipitated by nitrate of silver.

III. On cyanide of ethylene and succinic acid. —Preliminary notice

Succinic acid bears the same relation to the diatomic alcohol (glycol) that propionic acid bears to ordinary alcohol. Propionic acid can be obtained by treating the cyanide of the alcohol radical with potash. Can succinic acid be obtained by treating the cyanide of the glycol radical with the same reagent, or is it an isomeric acid that is formed under these circumstances ? The following experiments were performed with the view of determining this point:— Preparation of Cyanide of Ethylene .—As a preliminary step to the formation of succinic acid in this way, it became of course necessary to prepare the cyanide of ethylene. This body I obtained by submitting bromide of ethylene to the action of cyanide of potassium.