(no subject)

[esmenet]

Dear writer of a fic I read ages ago:

Yes, cyanide is commonly said to smell like bitter almonds. However, if you taste bitter almonds, I doubt the medics will get there in time to save you.

Comments

[szaleniec1000]

If you can smell cyanide, there's HCN gas present. Solid cyanide salts (potassium and sodium are the most common) are odourless under normal conditions, which is just as well because the gas is very nasty. Standard operating procedure is to administer the precautionary antidote if you can smell it at all.

Of course, a lot of people actually can't detect the smell.

[noracharles]

That is sad. Unless you're eating traditional amaretti! :-D

[donutsweeper]

Unless, of course, there *are* actually almonds in it.

Although something I learned recently (when lost in tvtropes) is that not everyone can smell it in the first place. And I provide the link in case anyone wants to waste an hour or two themselves. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BitterAlmonds

[esmenet]

I don't know what would be used to make actual almonds bitter, though. :\ Why did you have to link to TVTropes just before I need to leave~ TT_TT

[doire]

They're just a different type of almond. Sweet almonds are quite bland and bitter almonds are stronger with a hint of cyanide. Most stone fruit contain cyanogenic glycoside which releases cyanide when eaten.

I love the bitter almond taste of ammaretti biscuits despite working in a lab where I prepared the cyanide antidote every week.

[rodo]

Yeah, I'm always wondering how they know what bitter almonds smell like.

[pfeffermuse]

I knew I read that somewhere recently.

Will not click on TVTropes link . . . will not click on TVTropes link . . . will not click on TVTropes links . . .