226 POISONS : THEIR EFFECTS AND DETECTION. [§ 2JJ. 
* 
Molecular weight. 
Fatal dose in mgrs. 
per gramme animal. 
Fatal dose com¬ 
pared with HCN 
taken as 1. 
Fatal dose in terms 
of molecular weight 
taking HCN as 1. 
Tolylaminoaceto nitrile 
(ortho-) 
C 6 H 4 (CH 3 )NHCH 2 CN(o) 
146 
0091 
18-2 
3-36 
Tolylaminoaceto nitrile 
(meta-) 
146 
01 
20-0 
3-7 
Diethylamino - phenyl - 
aceto nitrile 
CN 
/ 
c 6 h 5 ch 
188 
0025 
5 
0-73 
Piperidoaceto nitrile 
X N(C 2 H 5 ) 2 
CN 
/ 
ch 2 
124 
0-058 
11-6 
2-52 
Sodium nitro prusside . 
x nc s h io 
Fe(CN) 5 (N0)Na 2 +2H 2 0 
298 
0-012 
2-4 
0-217 
He ascribes the toxic properties of these nitriles to the splitting off of HCN. The 
different stability of the compounds, the ease with which they are absorbed and 
excreted, and the variations in distribution in the body, account for the differences in 
toxicity that they exhibit. 
The same author has made experiments on the antagonistic action of certain 
thiosulphates and other sulpho compounds when injected a short time before the 
nitrile. The results of a few of these experiments may be seen from the following 
table, the figures indicating how many fatal doses of the nitrile have been neutralised 
by the sulpho compound :— 
Sodium Thiosulphate 3-5-5 
mgr. per grm. animal. 
Sodium Thiosulphate 0-22- 
0-286 mgr. per grm. animal. 
Thialdin in 20 per cent, 
alcohol 0-14 mgr. per grm. 
animal. 
Thialdin in 15 per cent, 
acetone 0-14 mgr. per grm. 
animal. 
Alcohol 20 per cent. 0-014 
c.c. per grm. animal. 
Isobutyl Sulphohydrate in 
55 per cent, alcohol 0-125 
mgr. per grm. animal. 
Alcohol 55 per cent. 0-125 
c.c. per grm. animal. 
Darbothialdin 0-23 mgr. per 
grm. animal. 
Pot. Ethylxanthate 0-25 
mgr. per grm. animal. 
Prussic acid . 
HCN 
1-8 
2-4 
2-4 
o 
o 
9 
Aceto nitrile . 
CHjON 
2 
• • 
? 
0 
0-02 c.c. 
# # 
0 
4-3 
Formal cyanhydrine 
CH 2 (OH)CN 
19 
about 3 
2-6 
3-3 
4-3 
2-6 
3 
less 
3-3 
2-5 
Chloral cyanhydrine 
CCl 3 CH(OH)CN 
2-7 
ca -3 
less 
? 
than 2 
1-3 
1-4 
1-3 
Benzo nitrile 
c 6 h„cn 
0 
o 
than 2 
Benzyl nitrile 
c,h 5 ch 2 cn 
2-6 
less 
1-7 
‘' 
i-7 
V 
• * 
0 
0 
2 
than 2 
Mandelic nitrile 
C 6 H 6 CH(0H)CN 
2-8 
2-4 
2-2 
0 
? 
• • 
2 
2-2 
Thialdin hydrochloride 
0T7 mgr. per grm. anima 
