About Hydrogen cyanide:
- It is a colourless or pale-blue liquid or gas with a bitter, almond-like odour.
- It is also known as hydrocyanic acid or HCN.
- Hydrogen cyanide interferes with the body’s use of oxygen and may cause harm to the brain, heart, blood vessels, and lungs.
- It is an excellent solvent for many salts, but it is not widely used as a solvent because of its toxicity.
- Application: It may be used in the workplace for fumigation, electroplating, mining, chemical synthesis, and the production of synthetic fibres, plastics, dyes, and pesticides.
Key facts about the Cassini spacecraft
- The mission was launched by NASA in 1997 and orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017, circling the planet 294 times.
- It measured the structure of Saturn’s atmosphere and rings, as well as how they interact with the planet’s moons.
- It also discovered six named moons and revealed Enceladus and Titan as promising locations to search for extraterrestrial life.
