Sodium cyanide
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| Chemical formula | NaCN |
|---|---|
| OTP appearance | white solid |
| Index of refraction | 1.452 |
| Density(g/cc) | 1.5955 |
| Melting Point(°C) | 563.7 |
| Boiling Point(°C) | 1496 |
| Solubility in water(g/L) | 637 |
| Immediate Danger to Life and Health | 25mg/m3 |
| NFPA 704 |  0
4
0
|
Uses
Justification Questioned
Other
Natural occurrence
Hazards
- Highly toxic: an oral dosage as small as 200–300 mg can be fatal.
- See Cyanide poisoning treatment
Production
Extraction
Synthesis
Castner
Scientific American[1] and the Journal of the American Chemical Society[2] both report on a sodium metal, ammonia, and carbon process:
- Submerge sodium metal in dry, oxygen-free liquid ammonia producing sodium amide and hydrogen gas. This is ideally done near -33C, the boiling point of ammonia, possibly with iron (III) nitrate as a catalyst.
- 2 Na + 2 NH3{Fe(NO2)32 NaNH2 + H2-33°C}→
- 2 Na + 2 NH3
- Combine molten sodium amide and pure carbon at 800°C, producing sodium cyanide and more hydrogen gas.
- 2 NaNH2(l) + 2 C(s){2 NaCN + 2 H2800°C}→
- 2 NaNH2(l) + 2 C(s)
Testing
Purification
Storage
Disposal
- Oxidize to safer sodium cyanate (NaOCN) with hydrogen peroxide or sodium hypochlorite
See Also
References
- ↑ Gravier, Charles (1914) "The Industrial Synthesis of Sodium Cyanide"
Scientific American Supplement 77; pp134.
link courtesy Google Books. - ↑ (1897) "Review. Some records of recent progress in industrial chemistry"
Journal of the American Chemical Society 19(2); pp916.
link courtesy Google Books.