What is Sodium Cyanide?
Sodium Cyanide is a highly poisonous inorganic compound that is majorly used by chemical or mining industries. The chemical formula for the sodium cyanide is given as NaCN and a molecular weight of 49.01 g/mol approximately. This is an ionic compound where one sodium cation is connected with one cyanide anions with a triple bond to form the product. As you can see below the carbon atom is connected with nitrogen through the triple bond.
Sodium Cyanide Structure
The product has the crystalline structure and taken as very much similar to the sodium chloride.NaCl
Sodium Cyanide Chemical Formula
The product can be prepared industrially by reacting hydrogen cyanide with sodium hydroxide together and the reaction for the same is given below –
This is a white crystalline solid with a faint odor of almonds. The product has a density of 1.59 g/mL and a melting point of 564 °C. This is highly soluble in aqueous solution and absorbs a lot of water from the surroundings.
This is a weak acid that gets hydrolyzed quickly and converted to highly toxic gas i.e..HCN In certain conditions, it could be quite dangerous too if not handled wisely. To make it safe, you can treat the same with hydrogen peroxide to reduce the toxic effect of the chemical compound.
About Sodium Cyanide
It is majorly used in mining industries where gold and other precious metals are extracted from their ores. It could be used for electroplating and other important precursors for many organic or inorganic compounds involving pharmaceuticals too. Due to its toxic nature, it could be used to kill insects or pests. One more practical use of the compound is analytical testing.