Silver cyanate

Silver cyanate is the cyanate salt of silver. It can be made by the reaction of potassium cyanate with silver nitrate in aqueous solution, from which it precipitates as a solid.

AgNO₃ + KNCO → Ag(NCO) + K⁺ + NO−3

Silver cyanate

Names
Systematic IUPAC name Silver(I) cyanate
Identifiers
CAS Number	3315-16-0 Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
ChemSpider	69282
ECHA InfoCard	100.020.007
PubChem CID	76827
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID10883967
InChI InChI=1S/CHNO.Ag/c2-1-3;/h3H;/q;+1/p-1 Key: DWBPIWPCOSHWCK-UHFFFAOYSA-M InChI=1/CHNO.Ag/c2-1-3;/h3H;/q;+1/p-1 Key: DWBPIWPCOSHWCK-REWHXWOFAQ
SMILES [Ag+].[O-]C#N
Properties
Chemical formula	AgOCN
Molar mass	149.885 g/mol
Appearance	colourless
Density	4g/cm3
Melting point	652 °C (1,206 °F; 925 K)
Boiling point	1,085 °C (1,985 °F; 1,358 K)
Solubility in water	Soluble in ammonia, nitric acid, potassium cyanide, ammonium hydroxide. Insoluble in alcohol and dilute acids.[1]
Hazards
GHS labelling:
Pictograms	GHS07
Signal word	Warning
Hazard statements	H302+H312+H332
Precautionary statements	P261, P270, P280, P301+P312+P330, P302+P352+P312, P304+P340+P312, P362+P364, P501
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)	2 0 0
Safety data sheet (SDS)	MSDS
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references

Alternatively, the reaction

AgNO₃ + CO(NH₂)₂ → AgNCO + NH₄NO₃

analogous to the reaction used for the industrial production of sodium cyanate, may be used.^[2]

Silver cyanate is a beige to gray powder. It crystallises in the monoclinic crystal system in space group P2₁/m with parameters a = 547.3 pm, b = 637.2 pm, c = 341.6 pm, and β = 91°. Each unit cell contains two cyanate ions and two silver ions. The silver ions are each equidistant from two nitrogen atoms forming a straight N–Ag–N group. The nitrogen atoms are each coordinated to two silver atoms, so that there are zigzag chains of alternating silver and nitrogen atoms going in the direction of the monoclinic "b" axis, with the cyanate ions perpendicular to that axis.^[3]

Silver cyanate reacts with nitric acid to form silver nitrate, carbon dioxide, and ammonium nitrate.^[4]

AgNCO + 2 HNO₃ + H₂O → AgNO₃ + CO₂ + NH₄NO₃

See also

• Silver fulminate