Back ستركنين Arabic استریکنین AZB Стрихнин Bulgarian Estricnina Catalan Strychnin Czech Strycnin Welsh Stryknin Danish Strychnin German Στρυχνίνη Greek Strychnine English
| Strychnine | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Strychnidin-10-one |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol)
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| ECHA InfoCard | 100.000.290 |
PubChem CID
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CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
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| Properties | |
| C21H22N2O2 | |
| Molar mass | 334.41 |
| Melting point | 284-286 °C |
| Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references | |
Strychnine is a poisonous substance which is naturally produced by the plant Strychnos nux-vomica. Together with brucine, another poison, strychnine is found in the leaves and seeds of this plant. They are a rather extreme example of the way some plants protect themselves against herbivores. The substances were discovered early in the 19th century, but it took about 150 years before Robert Robinson worked out their structure.[1]
When purified, strychnine is a very toxic colorless crystalline alkaloid. It is very poisonous, the LD50 is about 10 mg. Strychnine is soluble in alcohol and chloroform, but not in water.
Strychnine has few uses today. It can act as a stimulant, much like caffeine, and is on the list of substances tested for doping in sports.[2] It was used as a pesticide, for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents.
- ↑ Todd L. & Cornforth J.W. 1976. Robert Robinson. 13 September 1886 – 8 February 1975. Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 22: 414. [1]
- ↑ Michael S. Bahrke and Charles Yesalis 2002. Performance-enhancing substances in sport and exercise. Human Kinetics. ISBN 0-7360-3679-2 Google Books