Iodine cyanide
Encyclopedia
Iodine cyanide is the inorganic compound
with the formula ICN. It is a pseudohalogen
composed of iodine
and the cyanide
group. It is toxic and occurs as white crystals that react slowly with water
to form hydrogen cyanide. It is prepared by combining I2 and sodium cyanide
in ice-cold water
. The product is extracted with ether
.
Inorganic compound
Inorganic compounds have traditionally been considered to be of inanimate, non-biological origin. In contrast, organic compounds have an explicit biological origin. However, over the past century, the classification of inorganic vs organic compounds has become less important to scientists,...
with the formula ICN. It is a pseudohalogen
Pseudohalogen
Pseudo'halogen molecules are inorganic molecules of the general formsPs–Ps or Ps–X, where Ps is a pseudohalogen group such as cyanide, cyanate, thiocyanate and others, and X is a "true" halogen...
composed of iodine
Iodine
Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The name is pronounced , , or . The name is from the , meaning violet or purple, due to the color of elemental iodine vapor....
and the cyanide
Cyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
group. It is toxic and occurs as white crystals that react slowly with water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
to form hydrogen cyanide. It is prepared by combining I2 and sodium cyanide
Sodium cyanide
Sodium cyanide is an inorganic compound with the formula NaCN. This highly toxic colorless salt is used mainly in gold mining but has other niche applications...
in ice-cold water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
. The product is extracted with ether
Ether
Ethers are a class of organic compounds that contain an ether group — an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups — of general formula R–O–R'. A typical example is the solvent and anesthetic diethyl ether, commonly referred to simply as "ether"...
.
- I2 + NaCN → NaI + ICN