Sodium cyanide

This is a white salt. It can dissolve in water. It helps us get gold from rocks.

This salt is very dangerous. It is a very fast poison. It stops the body from using air.

People use it to find gold. It reacts with the metal. The salt makes the gold dissolve in water.

It can also coat other metals. This is called plating. It helps metals stick together.

We must be very careful with it. We use special ways to clean it up.

It is a powerful tool for science.

Sodium cyanide is a white salt. It can dissolve in water. This salt is a very strong poison. It works by stopping how cells use air. This happens when it blocks a part of the cell. This part is called cytochrome oxidase. Because of this, the body cannot use oxygen. Even a tiny amount can be fatal. Some say it smells like bitter almonds. But not every person can smell it. This is due to a trait in their genes.

People use this salt to find gold. This is called gold cyanidation. The salt reacts with the gold. This makes the gold dissolve in water. This is helpful for mining low-grade ore. More than 70% of all cyanide is used this way. It is also used for electroplating. This is a way to coat metals. It can coat gold, silver, or platinum. It can even help metals like chromium stick to aluminum.

We must be very careful with it. There are strict rules for its disposal. One way to clean it is using hydrogen peroxide. This turns the salt into safer things like water.

Sodium cyanide is a white solid that dissolves in water. It is a very powerful salt used in many industries. This salt is also a very strong poison. It works by stopping how cells use oxygen. It blocks a part of the cell called cytochrome oxidase. This stops the cell from using energy. Because of this, even a tiny amount can be fatal. A dose of only 200 to 300 mg can kill a person.

There is a specific way this salt works with metals. Cyanide has a high affinity for metals. This means it has a very strong attraction to them. In gold mining, this is very useful. The salt reacts with gold in the presence of water and air. This causes the gold to oxidize and dissolve. It turns into a liquid called sodium dicyanoaurate. This liquid gold can then be turned back into solid metal. This process is known as electrolysis. It helps miners get gold from low-grade ore.

Scientists and workers have studied this salt for a long time. In the past, it was made using the Castner process. That way involved reacting sodium amide with carbon at high temperatures. Today, it is made by treating hydrogen cyanide with sodium hydroxide. In the year 2006, the world produced about 500,000 tons of it. It is a moderately strong base in chemistry. It also has a structure similar to common table salt. This makes it a very important chemical in many labs.

People use sodium cyanide for many different jobs. More than 70% of it is used for gold mining. It is also used in a process called electroplating. This is a way to coat one metal with another. It can be used to coat silver or platinum. It can even help chromium stick to aluminum. Some people use it to collect insects in jars. It was once used as an insecticide or a rodenticide. However, the EPA stopped those uses in 1987.

We must be very careful when we get rid of this salt. There are strict rules for cleaning up cyanide waste. One way to make it safe is through oxidation. This means using things like hydrogen peroxide to change it. This turns the poison into water and sodium cyanate. Another way is called the Inco process. This uses sulfur dioxide and copper salts to clean the water. These methods help keep the environment safe from the toxic salt.

Sodium cyanide is a chemical compound with the formula NaCN. It appears as a white, water-soluble solid. This substance is a moderately strong base in chemical terms. It is also known for having a very high affinity for metals. This means it has a powerful attraction to metallic elements. Because of this reactivity, it is used widely in many industrial processes. However, this same chemical nature makes it one of the most rapidly acting poisons known.

The way sodium cyanide works inside a living body is quite specific. It acts as a potent inhibitor of cellular respiration. This means it interferes with how cells breathe and create energy. Specifically, it targets a part of the cell called mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase. By acting on this enzyme, it blocks the process of electron transport. This blockage causes a decrease in oxidative metabolism and oxygen utilization. As a result, the body undergoes lactic acidosis due to anaerobic metabolism. An oral dose as small as 200 to 300 mg can be fatal.

In industry, sodium cyanide is used to extract precious metals through a process called cyanidation. This is the dominant technique for extracting gold from low-grade ore. The process exploits the high affinity of gold(I) for cyanide. When gold is placed in a mixture of water, air, and cyanide, it undergoes oxidation. This causes the solid metal to dissolve into a liquid salt called sodium dicyanoaurate. Once the gold is in this soluble form, it can be converted back into solid metal through electrolysis. This single method accounts for more than 70% of global cyanide consumption.

Beyond mining, sodium cyanide is essential for the field of electroplating. Electroplating is a process used to coat one metal with a layer of another. Cyanide baths, which are solutions of metal ions, are used to plate metals like platinum, gold, and silver. It is also used to create cadmium plating, which provides excellent corrosion resistance. In some cases, it helps create copper "strikes." These are thin, high-quality layers that allow metals like chromium and aluminum to adhere to one another.

The production of sodium cyanide has changed over time. In the past, it was prepared using the Castner process. This method involved reacting sodium amide with carbon at elevated temperatures. Today, the standard method is to treat hydrogen cyanide with sodium hydroxide. This chemical process creates the white solid used by industries today. In the year 2006, worldwide production was estimated at approximately 500,000 tons. The crystal structure of solid NaCN is actually related to the structure of sodium chloride, which is common table salt.

Because of its high toxicity, the disposal of cyanide is subject to very stringent regulations. Industrial waste containing cyanide, known as effluent, must be destroyed carefully. One efficient way to detoxify it is through oxidation using hydrogen peroxide. This reaction produces water and sodium cyanate. Other industrial methods include the "Inco process," which uses sulfur dioxide and copper salts. Another option is the "Combiox Process," which uses a combination of peroxysulfuric acid, hydrogen peroxide, and sulfur dioxide.

Sodium cyanide also serves as a chemical feedstock for many other important substances. It is used to produce chemicals like cyanuric chloride, cyanogen chloride, and cyanogen. It can also be used to make specialty nitriles through a process called alkylation. In some niche areas, it is used by entomologists to stun or kill insects for collection. While it was once used as an insecticide and a rodenticide, the EPA cancelled those uses in 1987. This highlights the delicate balance between using powerful chemicals for industry and protecting the environment.