Zyklon B - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Properties

This pesticide belongs to the category of the Anoxiant S.

During its use, Zyklon B releases from the Cyanure of hydrogen (Blausäure (prussic acid) in German, from where the symbol B), a gas pollutant, quickly mortal with weak concentrations.

Zyklon B vacuum the bodies : excrements, urine, vomit, eyes leaving their orbit sometimes, in long and painful anguish.

History of Zyklon B

Zyklon B is sadly famous from its use for the Nazis, during the Second world war, in the gas chambers of the death camps of Auschwitz and Majdanek (nearly a million victims). It consists of hydrocyanic acid (prussic acid), of one stabilizing and a perfume (to announce the escapes) impregnated on various substrates. It was stored in tight containers; exposed to the air, the substrate releases from cyanide of hydrogen gas.

This pesticide had been developed by the German chemist Fritz Haber, German chemist Jewish who had to leave Germany in 1934.

It was produced during the First World War by TASCH (Technischer Ausschuss für Schädlingsbekämpfung, or technical Committee for the control of the plague) like agent against the Pou X. TASCH was created Degesch, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Schädlingsbekämpfung mbH, which played a big role in the manufacture of Zyklon B during the Second world war. Many German firms had interests in Degesch but, finally, they sold them to the giant Degussa with the beginning of the year 1920. Degussa developed the manufactoring process of Zyklon B out of crystals, that which was used during the Second world war. To find capital, Degussa sold part of its control on Degesch with IG Farben in 1930: each company having 42,5% of the capital, the remainder being in the hands of Th. Goldschmidt AG of Essen.

At this time, the role of Degesch was limited to the acquisition of patents and the intellectual properties, but it did not manufacture Zyklon B.

Manufacture was with load of the Dessauer Werke für Zucker and of the Chemische Werke which bought stabilizing it with IG Farben, the perfume of safety to Shering AG and the prussic acid with Dessauer Schlempe and assembled the whole to perfect the finished product.

The prussic acid was extracted from the by-product of purification of the beet sugar. From 1943 to 1945, the Kaliwerken of the town of Kolin in Bohemia-Moravie, provided the prussic acid to Dessauer Werke. When Zyklon B started to be used in the gas chambers, the Nazis gave the order to withdraw the perfume, in conflict with the German law.

To decrease the expenses, Degussa sold the rights of market with two intermediaries: the Heerdt and Linger GMBH (Heli) and Tesch and Stabenow (Tesch und Stabenow, International Gesellschaft für Schädlingsbekämpfung m.b.H.) or Tested Hamburg. These two firms extended their sales along the Elba with Heli having its customers towards the west and Testa towards the east.

Zyklon B is still produced in Czech Republic in Kolin under the name of Uragan D2, is sold for the fight against the insects and the rodents.

In France, Zyklon B was approved in 1958 pennies number 5800139 for the seed protection of cereals and the protection of stored cereals. This commercial product was interdict in 1988.

Use of Zyklon B by the Nazis

In their search for a method of extermination of mass, the Nazis tested Zyklon B in December 1941 on Russian prisoners with Auschwitz. Rudolf Höß, the commander d' Auschwitz, considered the process more practical than the Carbon monoxide and adopted it for the gazage deportees.

The Nazis built then gas chambers in death camps and of concentration, which allowed gazer at the same time several thousands of people using Zyklon B. They used these gas chambers until in 1945.

Random links:

College Heritage | Fault line of Highlands | The Legend off Dragoon | Olympic Rugby lunellois | Bergstrom Air Force Bases