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Sodium cyanide is the chemical salt of cyanide, which is an extremely toxic chemical. The chemical formula of the compound is NaCN, where Na stands for sodium and CN stands for cyanide.
- Sodium cyanide is also popular with the names cyanobrik, sodium cyanide, cyanide salt, and cyanogen.
- Since it has a high affinity (very reactive) for metals, it is one of the most toxic salts.
- This sodium salt has a white colour and is water-soluble.
Sodium cyanide is also a relatively strong base, and when combined with an acid (such as sulfuric acid), it produces hydrogen cyanide, an extremely dangerous gas.
- It is used in various industrial processes, including electroplating, mining and organic synthesis.
- The compound has the ability to inhibit various metabolic processes.
Key Terms: Sodium Cyanide, Cation, Anion, Cyanide, Carbon, Molecule, Electroplating, Sulfuric Acid, Cyanobrik, Sodium Hydroxide, Hydrogen Cyanide, Base, Gas, Sodium
What is Sodium Cyanide?
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Sodium Cyanide with the chemical formula NaCN is a cyanide and sodium salt with one-carbon molecule. It is exceedingly toxic and affects a variety of metabolic processes.
- Sodium cyanide is frequently utilized as a test reagent for chemoreceptor activity and in industrial processes.
- Cyanogran is a white crystalline solid that can also be obtained as a powder or lump solid.
- It has an equal proportion of cyanide anions and sodium cations.
- The compound does not have an established carbon and hydrogen bond.
- Almost 5 lakh tons of NaCN was produced in the year 2006.
- When sodium cyanide is detoxified with hydrogen peroxide, sodium cyanate and water are produced.
Cyanogran
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Sodium Cyanide Structure
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Sodium cyanide structure consists of carbon linkage with nitrogen with a triple bond. It results in the creation of an ionic bond between carbon and sodium.
- Within the structure of sodium cyanide, the carbon atom has a charge zero.
- The sodium atom has a charge of +1.
- Nitrogen atom has a charge of -1.
- The Lewis structure of sodium cyanide forms a linear molecule.
- It consists of carbon and nitrogen atoms forming a triple bond.
- The sodium atom is bonded to the nitrogen atom.
Given below is a simplified diagram of the structure of sodium cyanide:
Structure of Sodium Cyanide
Properties of Sodium Cyanide
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The properties of sodium cyanide are as follows:
Physical Properties of Sodium Cyanide
The physical properties of sodium cyanide are as follows:
- Sodium cyanide has a molecular weight of 46.006 grams/mol.
- It has a density of 1.6 grams /cm3.
- NaCN has boiling and melting points of 21.15 degrees Celsius and -9.3 degrees Celsius, respectively.
- It is a white crystalline solid that has a faint almond-like odor.
- The refractive index of sodium cyanide is 1.45.
- The heating capacity of compound is 70.4 J·mol−1·K−1.
The physical properties of sodium cyanide are tabulated below:
| Compound | Data |
|---|---|
| Sodium Cyanide | NaCN |
| Density | 1.6 g/cm³ |
| Appearance | White crystalline solid |
| Molecular weight/molar mass | 46.006 g/mol |
| Solubility in water | 38.9 g/100 mL at 20 °C |
| Boiling point | 1,496 °C |
| Melting point | 563.7 °C |
| Refractive Index | 1.45 |
Chemical Properties of Sodium Cyanide
The chemical properties of sodium cyanide are as follows:
Reaction with Iron Sulphate
When sodium cyanide react with iron sulphate then sodium ferrocyanide and sodium sulfate is formed.
NaCN + FeSO4 -------→ Na4(Fe(CN)6) + Na2SO4
Reaction with Hydrochloric Acid
When sodium cyanide react with hydrochloric acid then dangerous HCN gas is formed.
NaCN+HCl→HCN+NaCl
Reaction with Halogenoalkane
When halogenoalkane is heated with a solution of sodium cyanide, then halogen is replaced by -CN, and a nitrile is produced.
Production of Sodium Cyanide
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Sodium cyanide is formed by reacting hydrogen cyanide (HCN) with sodium hydroxide (NaOH).
HCN + NaOH - NaCN + H2O
In 2006, the global production of Cyanobrik was projected to be at 500,000 tonnes. It was created via the Castner technique, which required the high-temperature reaction of sodium amide (NaNH2) with carbon.
- There are six coordinate of anion and cation.
NaNH2 + C - NaCN + H2
Uses of Sodium Cyanide
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The uses of sodium cyanide are as follows:
Gold Mining
Sodium cyanide has numerous applications in the mining industry. The primary application of cyanide is in the extraction of gold and other precious metals from mines.
- As gold is extremely reactive to cyanide, sodium cyanide is employed expressly in gold mining.
- In the presence of oxygen and water, gold interacts with sodium cyanide to form sodium gold cyanide and sodium hydroxide.
Gold Mining
Chemical Feedstock
Sodium cyanide aids in the production of a variety of commercially important chemical compounds, such as cyanogen chloride, various nitriles, and cyanuric chloride.
- In regard to a reaction, cyanide is an extremely powerful nucleophile that contributes a pair of electrons to create a chemical bond.
- Cyanide (nucleophile) aids in the creation of nitriles in organic synthesis.
- Nitriles are found in various compounds and are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry.
Chemical Feedstock
Other Uses
Sodium cyanide is a highly toxic chemical, it is utilized for illegal purposes such as poisoning. Since the chemical is deadly, many people use it to kill insects and rodents.
Health Hazards
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Sodium cyanide is highly poisonous. In humans, a safe amount of oral fatal dose is regarded to be less than 5 mg/kg for a 70 kg person. When inhaled, absorbed via the skin, or swallowed, this chemical is lethal.
- It can cause burns to the eyes and skin if it comes into contact with it.
- When inhaled, swallowed, or in touch with vapors or dust, it is hazardous and can lead to death.
- When it reacts with moist air or water, it emits corrosive, combustible, and poisonous fumes.
- They are sometimes found in fruits and vegetables when they are sprinkled as pesticides.
- It can lead to death as well.
Things to Remember
- Sodium cyanide is the chemical term for cyanide, which is an extremely poisonous substance.
- The chemical formula of a compound is NaCN.
- Sodium cyanide aids in the production of several commercially important chemical compounds.
- It includes cyanogen chloride, a variety of nitriles, and cyanuric chloride.
- Cyanide is a powerful nucleophile that donates a pair of electrons to create a chemical bond in a reaction.
- It aids in the creation of nitriles in organic synthesis.
- Nitriles are found in various compounds and have numerous applications in the pharmaceutical industry.
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Sample Questions
Ques: What are the applications of sodium cyanide? (2 marks)
Ans: Sodium cyanide is largely utilized in the mining industry to extract gold and other precious metals. This application makes use of gold(I strong)'s affinity for cyanide, which allows the gold metal to oxidize and dissolve in the presence of air (oxygen) and water, resulting in gold cyanide (or gold sodium cyanide) and sodium hydroxide.
Ques: Is sodium cyanide poisonous? (2 marks)
Ans Sodium cyanide, like other soluble cyanide salts, is one of the most potent poisons known. NaCN is a strong respiratory inhibitor that affects electron transport by acting on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase. It leads to less oxidative metabolism and reduces oxygen.
Ques: How is sodium cyanide manufactured? (2 marks)
Ans: Sodium cyanide is typically made by combining sodium hydroxide and hydrogen cyanide. The products of the resultant double displacement reaction are water and sodium cyanide.
Ques: Is Sodium Cyanide safe for human intake? (3 marks)
Ans: No, because the chemical is exceedingly hazardous, it is not suitable for human ingestion. A dose of less than 5 mg/kg is regarded as an acceptable quantity of oral fatal dose for a human with an average weight of 70 kg.
- If a person inhales, absorbs via the skin, or consumes this chemical, it can be deadly and end in death.
- The chemical burns the eyes and skin when it comes into touch with them.
- Overall it is suggested to no use of Sodium Cyanide Safe for Human Intake.
Ques: What is the pH of cyanide? (2 marks)
Ans: At a pH of 11, more than 99 percent of the cyanide remains in solution as CN-, but at a pH of 7, more than 99 percent of the cyanide exists as HCN. CN– and HCN are in equilibrium at pH 9.3–9.5, with equal amounts of each present.
Ques: What should be sodium cyanide stored? (2 marks)
Ans: Cyanides should be kept in a cold, dry, well-ventilated place, away from direct sunlight and heat. A log should be kept with records of cyanide acquisition and use (see University of Windsor - "Cyanide tracking sheet" (CCC-2010-08) Appendix C).
Ques: Is sodium cyanide an organic or inorganic compound? (2 marks)
Ans: This group is present as the negatively charged cyanide ion in inorganic cyanides such as sodium cyanide (NaCN); these compounds, which are classified as salts of hydrocyanic acid, are extremely poisonous.
Ques: Why is cyanide referred to as cyanide? (2 marks)
Ans: The name is derived from the Greek kyanos, which means "dark blue," because it was first created by heating the pigment known as Prussian blue.
Ques: Why is cyanide negatively charged? (2 marks)
Ans: In the case of the cyanide ion, carbon generates a whole negative charge as well as a single pair of electrons. To avoid ambiguity, the nitrogen atom also has a lone pair that is not visible. When a lone pair is combined with a negative charge, the ion's carbon end becomes a nucleophile.
Ques: What are the physical properties of sodium cyanide? (4 marks)
Ans: The physical properties of sodium cyanide are as follows:
- When you combine sodium hydroxide and hydrogen cyanide, you produce sodium cyanide.
- As NaCN is produced from a relatively weak acid, it hydrolyzes to form HCN (hydrogen cyanide acid).
- The HCN we produce after hydrolysis smells like bitter almonds.
- Sodium cyanate water is formed when NaCN is detoxified with hydrogen peroxide.
- NaCN has a boiling temperature of 21.15 degrees Celsius and a melting point of -9.3 degrees Celsius.
- It has a molecular weight of 46.006 grams/mol and a density of 1.880 grams / dm3.
Ques: Explain: (A) What does sodium cyanide do to skin?
(B) What is another name for sodium cyanide? (2 marks)
Ans: (A) When sodium cyanide comes into contact with skin then skin might experience itching, vesiculation and disruption of the skin.
(B) The another name of sodium cyanide is Cyanogran, Cyanide of sodium, and Cyanobrik.
Ques: What is the difference between sodium cyanide nand potassium cyanide? (3 marks)
Ans: The difference between sodium cyanide nand potassium cyanide are as follows:
| Sodium Cyanide | Potassium Cyanide |
|---|---|
| Sodium cyanide is obtained by treating hydrogen cyanide with sodium hydroxide. | Potassium cyanide is obtained by treating hydrogen cyanide with potassium hydroxide. |
| Cyanide ion is liberated slowly. | Cyanide ion is liberated fastly. |
| It is a white solid. | It is a colourless crystalline solid. |
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