Chemical Substance #1 is a white powder. It has quite a high melting point, not becoming liquid until heated to 804 C. It is fairly soluble in water, dissolving to the extent of one gram for every 2.8 grams of water. Its water solution has a neutral pH.
It is a very important industrial chemical. It is the source of chlorine gas and sodium metal, as well as nearly all compounds of these two elements (e.g., hydrochloric acid, chlorates, sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, etc.) It has been an important article of commerce for all of recorded history--serving even as currency in some early societies.
It plays a vital role in muscle function. We require the intake of 2 to 4 grams a day.
The LD50 (1) is nearly 4 grams/kilogram of body mass (in rats). (Hence, it is not an effective rodenticide.) It is not generally considered poisonous.
The chemical name of Substance #1 is sodium chloride; it is commonly known as table salt.
Chemical Substance #2 is a white powder. It does not melt, but rather decomposes between 160 and 186 C, charring and emitting a characteristic caramel odor. It is quite water soluble; 1 gram dissolves in 0.5 grams of water. Its water solution has a neutral pH.
It finds industrial uses in the plastic and cellulose industry, in rigid polyurethane foams, and in the manufacture of ink and transparent soaps. It is the starting material for the fermentative production of ethanol, butanol, glycerol, citric acid and levulinic acid. The pharmaceutical industry uses Substance #2 extensively as a flavor, a preservative and an antioxidant, and a granulation agent and excipient for tablets.
It finds its most well-known, and perhaps most common use as a food. No LD50 is reported. Indeed, as pure chemical substances go, it is likely that Substance #2 can be consumed in greater quantities than any other substance without inducing a toxic reaction.
The chemical name of Substance #2 is sucrose; it is commonly known as sugar.
Chemical Substance #3 is a white powder. It also decomposes upon heating, liberating sodium metal and nitrogen gas. The decomposition temperature is not reported, as the process is violently explosive and difficult to study. It is quite water soluble; 1 gram dissolves in about 1.4 grams of water. At slightly elevated temperature, the aqueous solution liberates the extremely explosive and extremely toxic hydrazoic acid to the air.
Industrial uses of Substance #3 include the preparation of hydrazoic acid, lead azide, and pure sodium metal. It has been used in the differential selection of bacteria, in automatic blood counters, and as a preservative for lab reagents. (Most of these uses have been discontinued in favor of alternatives with lower toxic and explosive risks.) It finds use as a nematocide, a herbicide and in fruit rot control.
It is also used as the propellent in all auto air bags.
Substance #3 is highly toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic. (2) It may cause hypotension, tachycardia, tachypnea, convulsions and severe headache. (3) It is a detonation hazard (4) and most plants involved in its manufacture have experienced one or more severe explosions. Its LD 50 in rats is 0.045 grams/kilogram of body mass.
The chemical name of Substance #3 is sodium azide.
So, here is the quiz. Which of these three substances, all commonly encountered in everyday life, has been characterized in the popular press as "White Death?"
It's a trick question, of course. Both Substances #1 and #2 have, at one time or another, been called "White Death." Sodium azide, on the other hand, has never worn the moniker.
Kudos go to the Joan Claybrooks and the Ralph Naders of the world. In a society so chemophobic that sugar is labeled "White Death", their tireless efforts have placed in our laps a canister of sodium azide, quite likely the most dangerous substance that Americans have ever been forced to face.
By government mandate, airbags are designed to restrain a 175 pound unbelted individual. As a result, they have proved lethal to the small, the young, and the old. The government's decision that the lives of the little people are worth less than the large irresponsibles is reprehensible, and largely unchallenged. No study has shown any advantage of airbags to properly belted passengers. Yet, we are all mandated to purchase these dangerous, expensive devices. (Find another "safety" device on your car that comes with as many warnings.)
GM recently recalled a large number of cars for faulty airbags. Some were detonating unpredictably. Others had leaking sodium azide canisters. (We should start seeing the cancer cases in about 20 years.)
Hard to believe? Ask them about it.
