A compound formed when cyanide combines with methemoglobin (an oxidized form of hemoglobin) in blood, relevant to cyanide poisoning research.
From cyano- (Greek kyanos) + methemoglobin (from methylene + hemoglobin, the iron-containing oxygen carrier in blood). This medical term developed in 20th-century toxicology and emergency medicine as researchers studied cyanide poisoning mechanisms.
When someone is poisoned by cyanide, it doesn't directly kill the hemoglobin—instead it combines with methemoglobin to form this stable complex, which is why doctors use methylene blue to convert some hemoglobin to methemoglobin as an antidote.
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