Gold(I) cyanide
Gold(I) cyanide is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula AuCN. It is the binary cyanide of gold(I). It is an odourless, tasteless yellow solid.[4] Wet gold(I) cyanide is unstable to light and will become greenish.[4] Gold(I) cyanide itself is only of academic interest, but its derivative dicyanoaurate is an intermediate in gold cyanidation, the extraction of gold from its ores.[5]
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Other names
Gold monocyanide | |
Identifiers | |
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3D model (JSmol) |
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ChemSpider | |
ECHA InfoCard | 100.007.318 |
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PubChem CID |
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CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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Properties | |
CAuN | |
Molar mass | 222.985 g·mol−1 |
Appearance | dark yellow powder[1] |
Density | 7.12 g·cm−3[2] |
insoluble | |
Structure | |
hexagonal | |
P6mm (No. 183) | |
Hazards | |
GHS labelling:[3] | |
Danger | |
H300, H310, H330, H410 | |
Related compounds | |
Other cations |
Copper(I) cyanide Silver cyanide |
Related compounds |
Gold(III) cyanide |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Infobox references |
Preparation
Solid gold(I) cyanide precipitates upon reaction of potassium dicyanoaurate with hydrochloric acid:
It can also produced by the reaction of gold(III) chloride and potassium cyanide.[2]
Reactions
The solid dissolves to form water-soluble adducts with a variety of ligands: cyanides, hydroxide, ammonia, thiosulfate and hydrosulfide.[2]
Like most gold compounds, it converts to metallic gold upon heating.
Structure
Gold(I) cyanide's is a coordination polymer consisting of linear chains of AuCN such that each Au(I) center is bonded to carbon and nitrogen. The structure is hexagonal with the lattice parameters a = 3.40 Å and c = 5.09 Å.[2] T[6]
References
- Sigma-Aldrich Co., product no. 254088.
- O. Glemser; O. Glemser, H. Sauer (1963). "Gold(I) Cyanide". In G. Brauer (ed.). Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry, 2nd Ed. Vol. 2pages=1064. NY, NY: Academic Press.
- "C&L Inventory". echa.europa.eu. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- Meyers Konversations-Lexikon, 1888: Goldcyanid
- Rubo, Andreas; Kellens, Raf; Reddy, Jay; Steier, Norbert; Hasenpusch, Wolfgang (2006). "Alkali Metal Cyanides". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.i01_i01.
- Bowmaker, Graham A.; Kennedy, Brendan J.; Reid, Jason C. (1998). "Crystal Structures of AuCN and AgCN and Vibrational Spectroscopic Studies of AuCN, AgCN, and CuCN". Inorganic Chemistry. 37 (16): 3968–3974. doi:10.1021/ic9714697. PMID 11670511.