cyanide
cyanide
Definition
cya·nide (sī′ə nīd′, -nid′)
noun
a substance composed of a cyanogen group in combination with some element or radical; esp., potassium cyanide, KCN, or sodium cyanide, NaCN, extremely poisonous, white, crystalline compounds with an odor of bitter almonds: used in extracting gold from low-grade ores, electroplating, etc.
Etymology: cyan(o)- + -ide
transitive verb -·nid′ed, -·nid′·ing
to treat with cyanide
cyanide
Usage Examples
Preposition: of
- potassium: He was carrying cyanide of potassium, a deadly poison, which he gave to Sarah in a glass of stout.
Converse of object
- contain: The cleaner does not contain any cyanide or environmentally unfriendly detergent compounds.
- use: The majority of them are stunned by divers who use cyanide to poison the waters around them.
- take: He died in 1954 from taking potassium cyanide at his home where he was performing electrolysis experiments.
- include: A cigarette butt contains up to 4,000 chemicals, including hydrogen cyanide and arsenic.
- say: Police said no cyanide or noxious gas had been found on the men when they were arrested on 9 November.
- absorb: Smokers should note that the cyanide absorbed from the smoke into the blood causes the replacement of the 5'-deoxyadenosyl group by a cyanide.
Preposition: in
- water: Note: A solution of potassium cyanide in water is quite alkaline, and contains significant amounts of hydroxide ions.
Modifies a noun
- poisoning: Vapors sniffed to counter the effects of cyanide poisoning.
- capsule: They [ the Germans ] cannot have poured cyanide capsules through that roof.
- ion: The cyanide ion comes from hydrogen cyanide, which is a covalent molecule.
- toxicity: Plasma lactate measured at the time of admission has been shown to correlate with cyanide toxicity.
- compound: Terrorists have considered using a number of toxic cyanide compounds.
- pill: Ah, the imagination of the young generation, better take your cyanide pills now.
Noun used with modifier
- hydrogen: The cyanide ion comes from hydrogen cyanide, which is a covalent molecule.
- potassium: Death was clearly caused by taking a very large quantity of potassium cyanide.
- sodium: You could tolerate the dreaded sodium cyanide at many millions of times the concentration.
- methyl: The old name for this would have been methyl cyanide.
- blood: Applications so far include the determination of blood cyanide and the generation of oxygen radicals.
Browse dictionary entries near cyanide
- cyanide process
- cyanine
- cyanite
- cyano-
- cyanobacteria
- cyanocobalamin
- cyanogen
- cyanohydrin
- cyanosis
- cyanurate
