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Cyanides – characteristics PRAKTYKA
TOXICITY AND ANALYTICS
Cyanides are highly toxic compounds, containing in its molecule –CN group. Their sources are industry, residen-
tial building fires, waste water, tobacco smoke, plants and pharmaceuticals. Most of the cyanides are metabolized
in the liver cells with a rhodanese enzyme. The results of this reaction are non-toxic thiocyanate ions, soluble
in water, and removed from the body. Due to the toxicity of cyanides, it is necessary to lead monitoring studies
of the levels of these compounds in the environment. Available analytical techniques are used mainly for the
determination of cyanides in water samples, air, food and biological samples collected from animals or humans.
The choice of technique used for the determination of cyanides depends on the group of chemical compounds
to which they belong, as well as their half-life time. Analyst of cyanides is a difficult problem because of the wide
range of interfering substances in test samples.
Keywords: cyanides, cyanide ion, toxicity of cyanides, analytics of cyanides.
ANALITYKA – NUMER 4, ROK (XVI) 2015 37
