Reactivity Documentation
Cyanides, Inorganic |
mixed with |
Metals, Elemental and Powder, Active |
Summary
- Flammable: Reaction products may be flammable
- Generates heat: Exothermic reaction at ambient temperatures (releases heat)
- Intense or explosive reaction: Reaction may be particularly intense, violent, or explosive
-
May produce the following gases:
- Cyanogen
Details
Reactivity Predictions (for each pair of reactive groups)
Metals, Elemental and Powder, Active
Hazard Predictions
- Flammable: Reaction products may be flammable
- Generates heat: Exothermic reaction at ambient temperatures (releases heat)
- Intense or explosive reaction: Reaction may be particularly intense, violent, or explosive
Magnesium reacts with incandescence on heating with alkali or alkaline earth metal cyanides, decomposing the cyanide into flammable metal carbides and magnesium nitride (Mellor, J.W. 1940. Mellor's Comprehensive Treatise on Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry. Vol. 4, p. 271. Longmans, Green and Co Ltd.; Lenga, R.E., ed. 1988. Sigma Aldrich Library of Chemical Safety Data, 2nd Edition. Sigma Aldrich. pp. 913). At elevated temperatures, this reaction can be violent (Lewis, R.J., Sr. 1992. Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials, 8th Edition. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. pp. 2098).
Cyanogen gas can explode in contact with magnesium. This gas can be produced by thermal decomposition of gold or mercury cyanides (Mellor, J.W. 1940. Mellor's Comprehensive Treatise on Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry. Vol. 4, p. 271. Longmans, Green and Co Ltd.).
Pure liquid or gaseous HCN is inert to most metals and alloys such as aluminum, copper, silver, zinc, and brass. At higher temperatures (> 600°C), the acid reacts with metals that can form carbides and nitrides (titanium, zirconium, molybdenum, and tungsten) (Gail, E., Gos, S., Kulzer, R., Lorösch, J., Rubo, A. and Sauer, M. 2004. Cyano Compounds, Inorganic. Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. (Online)).
Solutions of potassium cyanide rapidly attack aluminum metal, even at cold temperatures (Pascal, P. 1961. Nouveau Traité de Chimie Minérale. Vol. 6, p. 503. Masson et Cie.).
Potential Gas Byproducts
- Cyanogen (NCCN)