Copper(I) cyanide

Greenish-white to white powder with unpleasant smell

Fixed

2.92 g · cm -3 ( 25 ° C)

473 ° C

Almost insoluble in water at 20 ° C

Risk

1265 mg · kg -1 ( LD50, rat, oral)

96.2 kJ / mol

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Copper ( I) cyanide is a white to greenish white powder that is almost insoluble in water, and melts at 473 ° C.

Production and representation

Copper ( I) cyanide can be produced in a redox reaction of copper sulphate CuSO4 and sodium cyanide NaCN to form cyanogen (CN) 2 and sodium sulphate Na2SO4. Cu2 ions are reduced to Cu while during a portion of the cyanide ions will be oxidized to cyanogen:

Use

Copper (I ) cyanide is used in electroplating. In organic chemistry it is used as a reagent in the Rosenmund - von Braun reaction, for the preparation of aryl nitriles.

For the synthesis of organocuprates ( I) cyanide is reacted with organolithium compounds in a transmetalation copper.