Potassium cyanide

Potassium cyanide is a compound with the formula KCN. It is a colorless salt that looks like sugar and is very soluble in water. Most KCN is used in gold mining, organic synthesis, and electroplating. They could also be used in jewellery for chemical gilding and buffing.^[1] Potassium cyanide is highly toxic, and a dose of 200 to 300 milligrams will kill nearly any human.^[2]

Potassium cyanide

Names
IUPAC name Potassium cyanide
Identifiers
CAS Number	151-50-8 Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
ChEBI	CHEBI:33191 N
ChemSpider	8681 Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.005.267
EC Number	205-792-3
PubChem CID	9032
RTECS number	TS8750000
UNII	MQD255M2ZO Y
UN number	1680
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID0024268
SMILES [K+].[C-]#N
Properties
Chemical formula	KCN
Molar mass	65.12 g/mol
Appearance	White crystalline solid deliquescent
Odor	faint, bitter almond-like
Density	1.52 g/cm3
Melting point	634.5 °C (1,174.1 °F; 907.6 K)
Boiling point	1,625 °C (2,957 °F; 1,898 K)
Solubility in water	71.6 g/100 ml (25 °C) 100 g/100 ml (100 °C)
Solubility in methanol	4.91 g/100 ml (20 °C)
Solubility in glycerol	soluble
Solubility in formamide	14.6 g/100 ml
Solubility in ethanol	0.57 g/100 ml
Solubility in hydroxylamine	41 g/100 ml
Acidity (pKa)	11.0
Magnetic susceptibility (χ)	−37.0·10−6 cm3/mol
Refractive index (nD)	1.410
Thermochemistry
Std enthalpy of formation ΔfHo298	−131.5 kJ/mol
Standard molar entropy So298	127.8 J K−1 mol−1
Hazards
NFPA 704	0 4 0
Flash point	Non-flammable
U.S. Permissible exposure limit (PEL)	TWA 5 mg/m3
Related compounds
Other anions	{{{value}}}
Other cations	{{{value}}}
Related compounds	{{{value}}}
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
N verify (what is YN ?)
Infobox references