Zyklon B

Zyklon B was the trade name of a cyanide-based pesticide invented in Germany in the early 1920s. It consisted of hydrogen cyanide (prussic acid), a stabilizer, and a warning odorant. It was initially used as an insecticide to fumigate buildings and ships, particularly to control typhus-bearing lice and other pests.

The product was manufactured by two companies: Degesch (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Schädlingsbekämpfung), which was 42.5% owned by IG Farben, and Tesch & Stabenow (also known as Testa).

During World War II, Zyklon B was infamously used by Nazi Germany in extermination camps, most notably Auschwitz-Birkenau, to murder millions of Jews, Roma, political prisoners, and other victims of the Holocaust. The gas was introduced into gas chambers disguised as shower rooms, leading to the systematic killing of those inside. The use of Zyklon B in these camps constitutes a horrific war crime and a key element in the Holocaust.

After the war, individuals involved in the production and distribution of Zyklon B were tried and convicted of war crimes. The gas remains a potent symbol of the Holocaust and Nazi genocide.