| Zyklon-B | |
|---|---|
| A can of Zyklon B with adsorbent granules | |
|
Function |
Pesticide |
|
Other names |
Cyclon-B; Cyclone-B |
Zyklon B (German pronunciation: [tsykloːn ˈbeː]; also spelled Cyclon B or Cyclone B) was the trade name of a cyanide-based pesticide infamous for its use by Nazi Germany to kill human beings in gas chambers of extermination camps during the Holocaust. Zyklon B is a cyanide-based poisonous gas that interferes with cellular respiration. Specifically, it prevents the cell from producing ATP by binding to one of the proteins involved in the electron transport chain.
Zyklon B was used by Nazi Germany to poison prisoners in the gas chambers of their network of extermination camps throughout Europe. Zyklon B was used at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Majdanek and at Sachsenhausen. Most of the victims were Jews and Poles and the Zyklon B gas became a central symbol of the Holocaust.
People could be killed by this in less than 20 minutes. It revolutionized the time and money germans had by mass murdering prisoners with a much cheaper cost.
The "B" designation indicates one of two types of Zyklon. The other was "Zyklon A" – a liquid pesticide which released hydrogen cyanide in a chemical reaction with water.
In the parodies[]
The chemical was referenced in a few parodies, and is the "gas" referred to when Hitler has to pay the gas bill for snuffing out undesirables. Both Himmler and Fegelein was also known to have used the said chemical in their antics, such as when they laced most of the bunker crew's marijuana with the pesticide.
In the 26th episode of Hitler gets experimented on by Mackychloe, Hitler plays a slot machine, "winning" a Zyklon canister that gassed him immediately.