Hydrogen Cyanide

Hydrogen Cyanide, also known as prussic acid, is a toxic liquid that is said to smell like bitter almonds.It is toxic because it binds to hemoglobin, preventing oxygen from getting there. There are many treatments, including hydroxycobalamin (a form of vitamin B12,) which is converted to the harmless cyanocobalamin (a different form of B12,) using up the HCN molecule and stopping it from binding to hemoglobin. It is found in fruits that have a pit, such as cherries and bitter almonds. In many of these fruits, it is stored as mandelonitrile or amygdalin.