Sodium Cyanide

Cyanide is a chemical compound that is well known as a dangerous poison but also has a few practical uses. There are an assortment of cyanide varieties as there are base elements that can be compounded together to produce the different kinds of this material. Sodium cyanide is one type of the compound that is used, not only as a poison, but in entomology, fishing, and most commonly in mining.

Mining is by far the major use for this compound because it helps miners extract gold from other elements it is bound to. This agent is by far one of the best solutions to extracting gold from the earth because Au, the chemical symbol for gold, has a natural propensity when cyanides are mixed with them. However, miners must be careful not to leave this substance lying around because it is quite dangerous.

Another use for this substance is in entomology. Entomology is the scientific word for the specific field in which scientists study insects. The scientists employ this agent as a poison to kill bugs in order for them to be collected. By using cyanide, scientist can keep the body of the insect intact and as untainted as possible. This allows them to study the insects captured without their bodies being mutilated.

The final use of this compound is in the fish market and is highly illegal in the eyes of most civilized countries. People use this cyanide compound when diving into coral reefs to kill or stun a wide assortment of fish. The fish that are stunned are usually captured and sold to pet stores because coral fish are some of the most beautiful in the world.

Sodium cyanide is a poison compound that has many uses even though it is a highly volatile substance. This form of cyanide is most widely used in mining, but can also be used by scientists collecting bug specimens and in illegal poaching styles of fishing. Whenever this compound is around, be sure to be careful in its use because it is an extremely dangerous poison.