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Potassium Cyanide

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potassium cyanide [pə′tas·ē·əm ′sī·ə‚nīd]
(inorganic chemistry)
KCN Poisonous, white, deliquescent crystals with bitter almond taste; soluble in water, alcohol, and glycerol; used for metal extraction, for electroplating, for heat-treating steel, and as an analytical reagent and insecticide.

Potassium Cyanide 

KCN, a colorless, hygroscopic, crystalline compound.

Potassium cyanide has a melting point of 635°C and a density of 1.56 g/cm3 at 25°C and is readily soluble in water (41.7 percent soluble at 25°C and 55 percent soluble at 103.3°C). In aqueous solution it undergoes hydrolysis, forming hydrocyanic acid, HCN. The hydrolysis constant of KCN is 2.54 × 10–5 at 25°C. Potassium cyanide has a great tendency to form complexes, such as potassium ferrocyanide, K4[Fe(CN)6] · 3H2O.

In industry potassium cyanide is produced mainly by neutralizing HCN with potassium hydroxide, KOH. Information on the uses of potassium cyanide can be found in CYANIDE.Potassium cyanide is highly toxic. Its effect on the body and safety rules for its use are discussed in HYDROCYANIC ACID.



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Lloyd's discovery of the "death bacillus" of the sea toad, and his experiments on it with potassium cyanide, sent his name and that of his university ringing round the world; nor was Paul a whit behind when he succeeded in producing laboratory colloids exhibiting amoeba-like activities, and when he cast new light upon the processes of fertilization through his startling experiments with simple sodium chlorides and magnesium solutions on low forms of marine life.
 
 
 
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