[Jewelry making - Article 00206] - Re: [Orchid] Superglue and soldering

[Peter W . Rowe]

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>     "Cyano" means cyanide, a serious poison. 

    Sorry, Dan, but that's not quite true. Almost, but misleading. 

    "Cyano" refers to the ion formed when a carbon atom is joined to a
    nitrogen atom. This subunit in chemistry can then bond to many
    things. If it bonds to a metal, then it is a cyanide. Among these is
    hydrogen cyanide, HCN, (remember that chemcally, hydrogen is
    considered a metal!) These are indeed toxic in many cases. But how
    toxic depends on the metal, and what it then does in the body. The CN
    ion is a problem chiefly because it can bond in many of the same
    ways an oxygen molecule can, thus denying a reaction site that
    expected oxygen, as in respiration, etc, of that oxygen. But there
    are many other compounds that form use the CN complex, some of which
    are non toxic, and some even essential parts of biochemistry. Even
    cyanides, aren't uniform in toxicity. Iron cyanide (ferrocyanides,
    there are a couple versions if I recall), are less toxic than the
    sodium or potassium or hydrogen versions, for example. And when
    bonded to oxygen, you get a cyanate, which goes on to form building
    blocks in many other compounds, with very different properties, yet
    still a similar sounding name. And in the chemistry of super glues,
    the CN complex is unavailable to the body, and thus inert. Burning
    cyanoacrylates, like burning any organic compound, can produce acrid
    unpleasant fumes, some of which might be toxic or irritating (I don't
    know the specifics). But super glue itself was actually originally
    developed, I've been told, in research looking for surgical
    adhesives. I don't think it ever gained much use for that, for reasons
    I don't know, though I have a friend, a diamond setter, who swears by
    it for closing up the occasional small cut. 

    The main point is to understand that similarities in a name can not
    always be relied on to point to similarities in chemical behavior.
    Consider oxygen, versus oxides. One clearly leads to the other, and
    we're all familier with both. But neither substitutes for the other.
    Even slight differences are important. Consider the differences
    between essentially inert carbon dioxide, and toxic carbon monoxide.
    And so it goes. "Cyano" is indeed related to cyanides, and cyanides
    are indeed serious toxins. But that does not mean "cyano" or
    compounds who's names include that syllable, should be assumed to be
    toxic. Just isn't so. 

Peter


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