Sodium Cyanide: Properties, Uses and Risks
Sodium Cyanide (Sodium Cyanide), a chemical substance. It is a white crystalline powder, highly toxic and feared by the world.

1. Properties
Sodium cyanide is highly soluble in water. When dissolved, it can combine with water, and its aqueous solution is strongly alkaline. In the air, sodium cyanide can slowly absorb carbon dioxide and water, gradually decompose, and release highly toxic hydrogen cyanide gas. Its melting point is quite high, reaching about 563.7 ° C, and its boiling point is 1496 ° C. This is due to the characteristics of its internal chemical bonds, which give it a relatively high melting boiling point.

Second, the use of
In the field of metallurgy, sodium cyanide is very important. The extraction of precious metals such as gold and silver often depends on its strength. Because it can form a stable complex with gold and silver, it is easy to separate and extract precious metals from ores. For example, in gold mining, the ore is treated with sodium cyanide solution, and the gold can be converted into a soluble gold cyanide complex. After subsequent processes, high-purity gold can be obtained.

In chemical synthesis, sodium cyanide is also an important raw material. The preparation of many organic nitrile compounds requires sodium cyanide as the starting material. If acrylonitrile is prepared, sodium cyanide and related raw materials can be widely used in key intermediates in synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber and other fields through specific reactions.

Third, the risk
The toxicity of sodium cyanide is terrifying. In very small doses, it can endanger life. After it enters the human body, cyanide ions are rapidly dissociated. The ions are tightly bound to iron ions in cytochrome oxidase, inactivating the enzyme, blocking the respiratory chain of cells, causing cells to be unable to uptake and utilize oxygen, which in turn causes tissue hypoxia and causes the body to suffocate and die.

The harm to the environment should not be underestimated. If sodium cyanide is accidentally leaked into the environment and flows into the water body, it will cause serious water pollution and poison aquatic organisms. In the soil, it will damage the soil ecosystem and affect the growth of vegetation. And the hydrogen cyanide gas produced by its decomposition escapes into the air, which will pollute the atmosphere and threaten the health of surrounding organisms and human populations.

Therefore, although sodium cyanide has important uses in the industrial field, its toxicity and environmental hazards require careful use, storage and transportation to prevent tragedies and ensure the safety of humans and the environment.