Cyanogen
Encyclopedia : C : CY : CYA : Cyanogen
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| Chemical name | |
| Other names | Cyanogen Carbon nitride Dicyan Dicyanogen Nitriloacetonitrile Oxalic acid dinitrile Oxalonitrile Oxalyl cyanide |
| Chemical formula | |
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| Density | 3 at -21 °C |
| Melting point | °C> |
| Boiling point | °C> |
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| [Chemical infoboxDisclaimer and references] | |
Cyanogen is a chemical compound (CN)2. The CN entity behaves like a halogen. Cyanogen molecules consist of two CN groups (analogous to diatomic halogen molecules, X2, where X = F, Cl, Br or I). The two cyano groups are bonded together at their carbon atoms: N≡C−C≡N. The word "cyanogen" may refer to a single cyano group in some molecules which are considered derivatives of cyanogen. Cyanogen chloride (NCCl), for example, is considered (for the purposes of naming) to be cyanogen with one cyano group replaced with a chlorine atom.
Physical properties
Cyanogen at room temperature is a colourless gas with a pungent odour. Its melting point is −27.9°C (−18.2°F) whilst its boiling point is −20.1°C (−4.2°F). Its density is approximately twice that of air at the same temperature and pressure. It is, like most cyanides, very toxic because it is reduced to cyanide, which binds more strongly than oxygen to the cytochrome c oxidase complex, thus interrupting the mitochondrial electron transfer chain.Preparation
Cyanogen can be prepared in the laboratory by heating mercury(II) cyanide. Industrially, it is made by the oxidation of hydrogen cyanide, usually using chlorine over an activated silicon dioxide catalyst or nitrogen dioxide over a copper salt. Cyanogen is also formed when nitrogen (N2) and acetylene (C2H2) are made to react by an electrical spark or discharge.History
Cyanogen has a long history, having been probably first synthesised around 1782 by Carl Scheele when he studied hydrogen cyanide. It had definitely been synthesised by 1802, when it was used to make what we now know as cyanogen chloride. It became of importance with the growth of the fertilizer industry in the late nineteenth century and is still an important intermediate in the production of many fertilizers. It is also used as a stabilizer in the production of nitrocellulose.Toxic effects
Cyanogen gas is irritant to the eyes and respiratory system. Inhalation may lead to headache, dizziness, rapid pulse, nausea, vomiting, unconsciousness, convulsions and death, depending on exposure.Muir, GD (ed.) 1971, Hazards in the Chemical Laboratory, The Royal Institute of Chemistry, London.
See also
References
External links
- For a full list of external links to MSDSs, spectroscopic data, commercial chemicals suppliers etc. for this compound, see [Chemical sources].
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