Hydrogen cyanide, HCN, is a poisonous gas. The lethal dose is approximately 300 mg HCN per kilogram of air when inhaled.
(a) Calculate the amount of HCN that gives the lethal dose in a small laboratory room measuring 12 × 15 × 8.0 ft. The density of air at 26 °C is 0.00118 g/cm3.
(b) If the HCN is formed by reaction of NaCN with an acid such as H2SO4, what mass of NaCN gives the lethal dose in the room?
2 NaCN(s) + H2SO4(aq) → Na2SO4(aq) + 2 HCN(g)
(c) HCN forms when synthetic fibers containing Orlon® or Acrilan® burn. Acrilan® has an empirical formula of CH2CHCN, so HCN is 50.9% of the formula by mass. A rug measures 12 × 15 ft and contains 30 oz of Acrilan® fibers per square yard of carpet. If the rug burns, will a lethal dose of HCN be generated in the room? Assume that the yield of HCN from the fibers is 20% and that the carpet is 50% consumed.