Table of Contents
Sodium cyanide
Sodium cyanide is a white crystalline powder that is extremely poisonous. It is used in gold mining, electroplating, and other industrial processes. It is also used in chemical weapons. When sodium cyanide comes into contact with water, it produces a deadly gas called hydrogen cyanide. Sodium Cyanide – Formula.
Sodium cyanide is a white crystalline powder that is extremely poisonous. It is odorless and tasteless. Sodium cyanide is used in mining, electroplating, and the production of synthetic fibers and plastics. It can also be used as a fumigant.
When sodium cyanide comes into contact with water, it forms a deadly gas called hydrogen cyanide. Hydrogen cyanide can kill a person within minutes. Sodium cyanide is also a fire hazard.
Applications
Cyanide mining
Gold cyanidation (also known as the cyanide process) is the dominant technique for extracting gold, much of which is obtained from low-grade ore. More than 70% of cyanide consumption globally is used for this purpose. The application exploits the high affinity of gold(I) for cyanide, which induces gold metal to oxidize and dissolve in the presence of air (oxygen) and water, producing the salt sodium dicyanoaurate:[4]
- 4 Au + 8 NaCN + O2 + 2 H2O → 4 Na[Au(CN)2] + 4 NaOH
A similar process uses potassium cyanide (KCN, a close relative of sodium cyanide) to produce potassium dicyanoaurate (KAu(CN)2).
Chemical feedstock
Several commercially significant chemical compounds are derived from cyanide, including cyanuric chloride, cyanogen chloride, and many nitriles. In organic synthesis, cyanide, which is classified as a strong nucleophile, is used to prepare nitriles, which occur widely in many chemicals, including pharmaceuticals. Illustrative is the synthesis of benzyl cyanide by the reaction of benzyl chloride and sodium cyanide.[8]
Niche uses
Being highly toxic, sodium cyanide is used to kill or stun rapidly such as in collecting jars used by entomologists and in widely illegal cyanide fishing.
Sodium Cyanide – Formula.
