Acrylamide
The
chemical compound acrylamide is an
amide with
chemical formula C3H5NO and structure
It is a white odorless crystalline, soluble in
water,
ethanol and
ether. It is used in
papermaking,
ore processing, manufacture of permanent-press fabrics, and the manufacture of
dyes. Acrylamide is also used to synthesize polyacrylamides which find many uses as water-soluble stabilizers, for instance in waste water treatment and in
gel electrophoresis (
SDS-PAGE).
Acrylamide is also a probable carcinogen found in small quantities in some foods. It is believed to be created in foods when starches and other carbohydrates are overheated (far past 100ðC) during cooking. Some sources claim that people in the modern world consume daily on average around 25 microgramss of acrylamide, and that this accounts for a significant number of cases of cancer.
The CAS registry number for acrylamide is 79-06-1 and its UN number is 2074.
External links
- http://www.nsc.org/library/chemical/Acrylami.htm Chemical information
- http://www.konsumentverket.se/html-sidor/livsmedelsverket/enginformationakryl.htm Report about acrylamide in food and cancer risks
- http://www.crime.co.nz/c-files.asp?ID=46 Court case about a suspected acrylamide poisoning