Zyklon B

Zyklon B was a cyanide-based pesticide invented in Germany in the 1920s, composed of hydrogen cyanide, a cautionary eye irritant, and an adsorbent such as diatomaceous earth. The product was notorious for its use by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust to murder approximately 1.1 million people in gas chambers. Hydrogen cyanide, the toxic gas in Zyklon B, interferes with cellular respiration by binding to a protein involved in the electron transport chain, preventing the production of energy needed for cellular function, and resulting in death. The Nazis used Zyklon B in extermination camps from 1942, and its use was later banned, but it still has industrial applications today.learn more on wikipedia