Zyklon+B


 * BY NATALIE GALITZKY -- Block B -- June 2013**

Summary
Zyklon-B is a harsh pesticide, containing the deadly chemical of Hydrogen- Cyanide. Its original purpose, being for pest control, was exploited by Nazi Germany, who instead, used it to exterminate the Jewish population for the duration of the Holocaust. Common names for Zyklon-B are Prussic Acid, and Hydrocyanic Acid. Zyklon-B comes in the form of small pebble like disks that must be stored in a metal can.

History
toc The use of Prussic Acid stretches all the way down to the Napoleonic era where rags were used to spread Prussic Acid on bayonets for combat. Following that, it  was used in World War 1 where 2000 tons of Prussic Acid was used as a poison gas agent in artillery ammunition. It makes a very effective means of fumigation for ships, stores, factories and buildings, as well as a popular method for combating insects and rodents. Originating in 1887 where it was used on citrus fruit, now thousands of sources were using Prussic Acid in the 1930's for fumigation. Not only was Germany using it, but also North America, mainly to disinfect freight trains and clothes of Mexican immigrants entering the U.S.

Synthesis and Production
Zyklon-B was investigated at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Physical Chemistry where trained personnel studied the chemical, equipped with protective suits  and oxygen masks, the substance being too dangerous to handle. They experimented with sodium cyanide and diluted Sulpheric Acid, and following a chemical  reaction came the synthesis of hydrogen cyanide. Zyklon B continued to be produced and sold after 1945, in the German Democratic Republic under the name of “//Cyanol//,” and in the Federal Republic of Germany as “//Cyanosil//.” The absorbed Hydrocyanic Acid was very safe in handling and storage when placed in inexpensive airtight cans making them very easy to transport.

Use on Humans - Holocaust
On September 3, 1941, 600 Soviet and 250 Polish Prisoners of War were gassed to death as an experiment with Zyklon-B, at Auschwitz. The Germans now had the answer they were seeking for; a weapon that would kill media type="youtube" key="vkkNxL5Qe7M" width="420" height="315" align="right"many people with containment. Zyklon-B then emerged as the preferred extermination tool the Nazi regime took responsibility for during the Holocaust. The chemical was made and used without the warning odorant at the Auschwitz and Maidanek extermination camps, claiming the lives of 2.1 million Jewish people, along with other types of people such as Polish, Gypsies, Elderly, Mentally-Disabled, and communists. Rudolf Hess, commandant of Auschwitz, said that the use of Zyklon-B came about on the initiative of one of his subordinates, Karl Fritzsch who used the substance to kill some Russian Prisoners of War in 1941. Once the gas chambers were full, the doors were closed, and solid pellets of Zyklon-B were dropped into the chambers through pipes in the side walls, thus releasing cyanide gas when the Zyklon-B got wet, why they were called showers. The victims within the chambers died within 20 minutes depending on how close they were standing to a poison gas vent, some dying instantly.

Actual Use
Originally, Zyklon-B was used as a pesticide for agricultural purposes by California orange growers. In 1917 it became an effective delousing agent in mills and silos for clothing. W ehrmacht was its main customer, but police of the Reich Labour Service Hospital Administrations, and the S.S. used it to disinfect military barracks, ships, freight cars, storage space, mills, and hospitals.

Mechanism
Mechanically, Zyklon-B is a cyanide-based poisonous gas that interferes with cellular respiration. Once injected either by being inhaled or absorbed  through skin, the hydrogen cyanide (prussic acid) prevents human cells from producing ATP. By interfering with the natural flow of protein synthesis,  the chemical binds on the one of the proteins, halting electron transport in which the cell can no longer produce emery to synthesize ATP. Consequently,  the victim experiences an agonizing death by suffocation.

Legacy
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none;">After the war ended, the truth came out about what was really going on at the Nazi camps. Consequently, the individuals affiliated with Zyklon B were <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none;">convicted of mass murder, and eventually executed for their part in producing and distributing the deadly chemical. Even employees of companies <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none;">supplying Zyklon B to the S.S. Were brought before the court in criminal trials. For the Jewish population, the word “Zyklon-B” obviously prompts emotional reactions so following the war, the name was not mentioned freely, if at all.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zyklon_B http://www.wollheim-memorial.de/en/zyklon_b_en_2

<span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 554.5px; width: 1px;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">Zyklon B is a harsh pesticide, containing the deadly chemical of Hydrogen- Cyanide. It's original purpose, being for pest control, was exploited by Nazi Germany, used to exterminate the Jewish population for the duration of the Holocaust. t LAKSD NFLSDFNLKSDN FLSDKN FSDN ;LSDJF NSDKLFJ LSDJFN ASLDKJF NASD A;LSDJ FLSDKFJ A;LSKDJF ASLDKJF ASLDKJF ASLKDJF ASLDKJF ASLKDJF ALSDKJF A;LKSDJ FA;LSKDJ FALSDK FALSDKJF AS;LDKJ FASLDKJF A;SLKDF JA;SLKD FJA;SLKDJF DSLKF