Potassium cyanate is an

inorganic compound In chemistry, an inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds, that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as '' inorganic chemist ...

with the

formula In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwee ...

KOCN (sometimes denoted KCNO). It is a colourless solid. It is used to prepare many other compounds including useful

herbicide Herbicides (, ), also commonly known as weedkillers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds.EPA. February 201Pesticides Industry. Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007: Market Estimates. Summary in press releasMain page fo ...

. Worldwide production of the potassium and sodium salts was 20,000 tons in 2006.Peter M. Schalke1, "Cyanates, Inorganic Salts" Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry2006, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. . Article Online Posting Date: July 15, 2006

Structure and bonding

The

cyanate Cyanate is an anion with the structural formula , usually written . It also refers to any salt containing it, such as ammonium cyanate. It is an isomer of the much less stable fulminate anion .William R. Martin and David W. Ball (2019): "Small ...

anion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...

is isoelectronic with

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...

and with the

azide In chemistry, azide is a linear, polyatomic anion with the formula and structure . It is the conjugate base of hydrazoic acid . Organic azides are organic compounds with the formula , containing the azide functional group. The dominant applic ...

anion, being linear. The C-N distance is 121 pm, about 5 pm longer than for

cyanide Cyanide is a naturally occurring, rapidly acting, toxic chemical that can exist in many different forms. In chemistry, a cyanide () is a chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of ...

. Potassium cyanate is isostructural with

potassium azide Potassium azide is the inorganic compound having the formula . It is a white, water-soluble salt. It is used as a reagent in the laboratory. It has been found to act as a nitrification inhibitor in soil. Structure , , , and adopt the same struc ...

Uses

For most applications, the potassium and sodium salts can be used interchangeably. Potassium cyanate is often preferred to the sodium salt, which is less soluble in water and less readily available in pure form. Potassium cyanate is used as a basic raw material for various organic syntheses, including,

urea Urea, also known as carbamide, is an organic compound with chemical formula . This amide has two amino groups (–) joined by a carbonyl functional group (–C(=O)–). It is thus the simplest amide of carbamic acid. Urea serves an important r ...

derivatives,

semicarbazide Semicarbazide is the chemical compound with the formula OC(NH2)(N2H3). It is a water-soluble white solid. It is a derivative of urea. Synthesis The compound prepared by treating urea with hydrazine:Jean-Pierre Schirmann, Paul Bourdauducq "Hydrazi ...

s, carbamates and

isocyanate In organic chemistry, isocyanate is the functional group with the formula . Organic compounds that contain an isocyanate group are referred to as isocyanates. An organic compound with two isocyanate groups is known as a diisocyanate. Diisocyan ...

s. For example, it is used to prepare the drug

hydroxyurea Hydroxycarbamide, also known as hydroxyurea, is a medication used in sickle-cell disease, essential thrombocythemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, polycythemia vera, and cervical cancer. In sickle-cell disease it increases fetal hemoglobin and d ...

. It is also used for the

heat treatment Heat treating (or heat treatment) is a group of industrial, thermal and metalworking processes used to alter the physical, and sometimes chemical, properties of a material. The most common application is metallurgical. Heat treatments are also ...

of metals (e.g.,

Ferritic nitrocarburizing Ferritic nitrocarburizing or FNC, also known by the proprietary names Tenifer, Tufftride and Melonite as well as ARCOR,Other trade names include Tuffride/ Tuffrider, QPQ, Sulfinuz, Sursulf, Meli 1, and Nitride, among others is a range of proprie ...

Therapeutic Uses

Potassium cyanate has been used to reduce the percentage of sickled erythrocytes under certain conditions and has also increased the number of deformalities. In an aqueous solution, it has prevented irreversibly the in vitro sickling of hemoglobins containing human erythrocytes during deoxygenization. Veterinarians have also found potassium cyanate useful in that the cyanate salts and isocyanates can treat parasite diseases in both birds and mammals.

Preparation and reactions

KOCN is prepared by heating

with

potassium carbonate Potassium carbonate is the inorganic compound with the formula K2 CO3. It is a white salt, which is soluble in water. It is deliquescent, often appearing as a damp or wet solid. Potassium carbonate is mainly used in the production of soap and gl ...

at 400 °C: :2 OC(NH₂)₂ + K₂CO₃ → 2 KOCN + (NH₄)₂CO₃ The reaction produces a liquid. Intermediates and impurities include biuret,

cyanuric acid Cyanuric acid or 1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triol is a chemical compound with the formula (CNOH)3. Like many industrially useful chemicals, this triazine has many synonyms. This white, odorless solid finds use as a precursor or a component of bleach ...

, and potassium allophanate (KO₂CNHC(O)NH₂), as well as unreacted starting urea, but these species are unstable at 400 °C. Protonation gives a 97:3 mixture (at room temperature) of two

tautomer Tautomers () are structural isomers (constitutional isomers) of chemical compounds that readily interconvert. The chemical reaction interconverting the two is called tautomerization. This conversion commonly results from the relocation of a hydr ...

s, HNCO and NCOH. The former trimerizes to give cyanuric acid.

Properties

Potassium carbonate crystals are destroyed by the melting process so that the urea can react with almost all potassium ions to convert to potassium cyanate at a higher rate than when in the form of a salt. This makes it easier to reach higher purities above 95%. It can also be made by oxidizing potassium cyanide at a high temperature in the presence of oxygen or easily reduced oxides, such as lead, tin, or manganese dioxide, and in aqueous solution by reacting with hypochlorites or hydrogen peroxide. Another way to synthesize it is to allow an alkali metal cyanide to react with oxygen in nickel containers under controlled conditions. It can be formed by the oxidation of ferrocyanide. Lastly, it can be made by heating potassium cyanide with lead oxide."Potassium cyanate" https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?cid=11378442&loc=ec_rcs

References

External links

MSDS

{{Potassium compounds Potassium compounds Cyanates