Acrylamide

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Acrylamide (or acrylic amide) is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH2=CHC(O)NH2. It is a white odorless solid, soluble in water and several organic solvents. From the chemistry perspective, acrylamide is a vinyl-substituted primary amide (CONH2). It is produced industrially mainly as a precursor to polyacrylamides, which find many uses as water-soluble thickeners and flocculation agents. Acrylamide forms in burnt areas of food, particularly starchy foods like potatoes, when cooked with high heat, above 120 °C (248 °F). Despite health scares following this discovery in 2002, and its classification as a probable carcinogen, there is ongoing debate as to whether acrylamide consumed through diet is likely to cause cancer in humans; Cancer Research UK described the idea of burnt food causing cancer as unlikely, and not based on reliable evidence.

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