Hydrocyanic acid (hydrogen cyanide) has a faint, bitter almond-like odor reminiscent of benzaldehyde or bitter almond oil. It is extremely toxic and not used in perfumery; the smell is sharp and slightly acrid with a nutty-cherry facet.AI · claude-opus-4-7
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Perfume and Flavor Chemicals, page 709.
Colorless mobile liquid, boiling at 26°C.
Miscible with water and alcohol, soluble in most oils.
Sweet odor reminiscent of mashed Bitter Almonds, but more woody and delicate.
This material is mentioned because it forms part of an essential oil which is used extensively in flavorings, although it is commonly specified that Bitter Almond oil should be free from this acid.
Produced by catalytic oxidation of Ammonia plus Methane gas.