Everything about Denatonium totally explained
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Denatonium, usually available as
denatonium benzoate (under
trade names such as
Bitrex or
Aversion) and as
denatonium saccharide, is the most
bitter compound known to date.
It was discovered in 1958 during research on
local anesthetics by Macfarlan Smith of
Edinburgh,
Scotland, and registered under the trademark
Bitrex. Dilutions of as little as 10
ppm are unbearably bitter to most humans. Denatonium salts are usually colorless and odorless solids but are often traded as solutions. They are used as aversive agents to prevent accidental
ingestion. Denatonium is used in
denatured alcohol,
antifreeze,
nail biting preventions,
animal repellents,
liquid soaps, and
shampoos. It isn't known to pose any long-term health risks although exposure may be irritating and unpleasant.
An anecdote relates how one of the researchers at Atomergic Chemetals Corp. in
Plainview,
New York, went home without realising that he'd a tiny trace of denatonium saccharide on the outside of his lip. When he kissed his wife, she almost
vomited.
Structure and physical properties
Denatonium is a
quaternary ammonium cation. It is a compound of a
salt with an
inert anion like
benzoate or
saccharide. The structure of denatonium is related to the
local anesthetic lidocaine, differing only by the addition of a
benzyl group to the
amino nitrogen.
Applications
The bitterness of the compound guides most applications of denatonium. Denatonium benzoate is used to
denature ethanol so that it isn't taxed as an
alcoholic beverage. One designation in particular, SD-40B, indicates that ethanol has been denatured using denatonium benzoate. In fact, the common name for this chemical,
denatonium alludes to this application.
Denatonium also discourages consumption of harmful
alcohols like
methyl alcohol and
ethylene glycol. Denatonium is therefore often used in rubbing alcohol as an inactive ingredient. It is also added to all kinds of harmful liquids including
solvents,
paints,
varnishes, toiletries, and other household products.
Since 1995, when the State of
Oregon required that denatonium benzoate be added to antifreeze and windshield wiper fluid, the compound has been increasingly found in these substances throughout the world. The addition is credited with saving children and animals who might otherwise drink sweet
antifreeze or
wiper fluid and get
ethylene glycol or
methanol poisoning respectively.
Other uses include nail polish for preventing nail biting, and as animal repellent (especially for
big game like
deer).
Non-human animals are known to have different sensitivities to the effects of denatonium. It has been used to safeguard
rat poisons from human consumption, so presumably rats are not deterred by it, although there's evidence that a small percentage of rodents do avoid such baits. Some
cats have been known to be tempted by them — it may not be as effective a deterrent for cats as it's for humans, or perhaps some cats are not deterred due to a
genetic factor similar to that affecting human perceptions of the taste of
phenylthiocarbamide.
It is soon to be used on all
Bindeez toys in response to the incident where two children experienced a
coma after ingesting large amounts of the small beads. It was later discovered that it contained a chemical which metabolizes to
GHB, a drug with alcohol-like effects in small doses. Though that problem is unlikely to reoccur, the bitter substance will be used to prevent future ingestion and
choking.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Denatonium'.
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