Page "Bhopal disaster" Paragraph 58

Exposed to high temperatures, MIC breaks down to hydrogen cyanide ( HCN ).

According to Kulling and Lorin, at + 200 ° C, 3 % of the gas is HCN.

However, according to another scientific publication, MIC when heated in the gas-phase starts to break down to hydrogen cyanide ( HCN ) and other products above 400 ° C.

Concentrations of 300 ppm can lead to immediate collapse.

Laboratory replication studies by CSIR and UCC scientists failed to detect any HCN or HCN-derived side products.

Chemically, HCN is known to be very reactive with MIC.

HCN is also known to react with hydrochloric acid, ammonia, and methylamine ( also produced in tank 610 during the vigorous reaction with water and chloroform ) and also with itself under acidic conditions to form trimers of HCN called triazenes.

None of the HCN-derived side products were detected in the tank residue.