MELAMINE

Melamine

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Table of Content

Introduction1

Discussion2

Toxicity2

Hydrolysis of melamine and cyanuric acid complex formation melamine - cyanuric acid stabilized by hydrogen bonding4

Conclusion14

Melamine

Introduction

Melamine is a molecule widely used in the manufacture of resins, glues or fertilizer. The interesting characteristics of the products obtained (stiffness, strength, heat resistance) have led to its use for many items such as household utensils (plates, cups, cutlery, and said melamine) or furniture (kitchen worktop, various furniture, made from melamine or laminate).

From a chemical point of view, melamine, or 1, 3, 5-triazine-2, 4, 6-triamine in IUPAC nomenclature, is an organic compound of formula C 3 H 6 N 6. It thus has a high content of nitrogen (66% by mass). The structure also shows an aromatic ring (delocalization of six electrons in the cycle) making the molecule planar.

Melamine: semi-developed structure and 3D structure

The use of food additives introduced at the food-processing stage is the largest single difference between organic and nonorganic foods. Common additives include food coloring, bulking agents, preservatives, sweeteners, and acids. Each is useful, but there is a long-standing and lively debate over whether they do more harm than good. The increasingly widespread industrial processing of food in advanced societies has brought with it a similar increase in the use of additives, in turn resulting in closer monitoring of food safety on the part of consumers and food-regulatory agencies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are charged with monitoring and inspecting most foods in the United States.

Discussion

Toxicity

Lethal toxicity of melamine is low, similar to that of salt. It is measured by the indicator LD50 represents the mass of a substance required (= lethal dose) to kill 50% of an animal population after ingestion. It is expressed in mg of active substance per kg of animal. In rats, the LD50 of melamine is around 3000 mg / kg. However, its toxicity following chronic exposure is important. In particular, there is a result of repeated ingestion of melamine a drop in fertility and serious kidney complications, including the formation of kidney stones.

Many features of this molecule may explain its toxicity due to its high reactivity with molecules existing in the human body:

Flatness

A flat molecule could more easily intercalated in cell membranes or DNA to affect performance.

The aromatic ring: the high density of delocalized electrons in the melamine makes it very reactive with respect to redox phenomena. We can also observe a setting in the pockets of proteins rich in aromatic rings.

Amine functions

Amines interact easily with carbonyl functions, acids and amides of the molecules present in the human body in its natural state or not. In particular, in the presence of cyanuric acid, we observe the formation of a complex crystalline very slightly soluble in water (see Fig. 2), responsible for renal failure (calculations) and urinary observed. The cyanuric acid hydrolysis product of melamine, is often found with melamine itself, but is also used in water treatment for example. Indeed chlorine is sometimes used to purify unsafe water, but also to treat swimming ...