Barium cyanide is a
chemical compound
A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...
with the formula Ba(CN)
2. It is synthesized by the reaction of
hydrogen cyanide and
barium hydroxide
Barium hydroxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula Ba(OH)2. The monohydrate (''x'' = 1), known as baryta or baryta-water, is one of the principal compounds of barium. This white granular monohydrate is the usual commercial form.
...
in water or
petroleum ether
Petroleum ether is the petroleum fraction consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbons and boiling in the range 35–60 °C, and commonly used as a laboratory solvent. Despite the name, petroleum ether is not classified as an ether; the term is used ...
. It is a white crystalline salt.
Uses
Barium cyanide is used in
electroplating and other metallurgical processes.
Reactions
Barium cyanide reacts with water and carbon dioxide in air slowly, producing highly toxic hydrogen cyanide gas.
When barium cyanide is heated to 300° C with steam present, the nitrogen evolves to ammonia, leaving barium formate. The reaction is Ba(CN)2 + 4H2O = Ba(HCOO)2 + 2NH3.
Aqueous solutions of barium cyanide dissolve insoluble cyanides of some of the heavy metals forming crystalline double salts. For example, BaHg(CN)
4.3H
2O in needles, 2Ba(CN)
2.3Hg(CN)
2.23H
2O in transparent octahedra, and Ba(CN)
2.Hg(CN)
2.HgI
2.6H
2O.
References
Barium compounds
Cyanides
{{Inorganic-compound-stub