Tag: toxic

Compound InterestExplorations of everyday chemical compounds

Fugu and tetrodotoxin: how the pufferfish can kill

January 17, 2018 0Comments 0Likes 142Views

Pufferfish: kind of cute, right? Also kind of poisonous. They hit the news this week after a Japanese supermarket accidentally sold five packages of fugu (as it’s known in Japan) without removing the highly poisonous livers. This post looks at what makes them so poisonous.

The Chemistry of Poisons – Thallium, ‘The Poisoner’s Poison’

March 19, 2015 2Comments 1Like 148Views

Poison Chemistry - Thallium Sulfate — Click to enlarge

Having already looked at arsenic and cyanide in the previous instalments in this series, our attention turns to thallium, another famed poison. Thallium perhaps doesn’t share quite the same profile as arsenic and cyanide, but despite this it’s perhaps an even more effective compound in poisonings. This graphic looks at its history and effects.