Cyanogen

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Cyanogen

Chemical name	Ethanedinitrile
Other names	Cyanogen Carbon nitride Dicyan Dicyanogen Nitriloacetonitrile Oxalic acid dinitrile Oxalonitrile Oxalyl cyanide
Chemical formula	C₂N₂
Molecular mass	52.04 g mol⁻¹
CAS number	[460-19-5]
Density	0.95 g cm⁻³ at −21 °C
Melting point	−28 °C
Boiling point	−21 °C
SMILES	N#CC#N
NFPA 704	4 4 2
Disclaimer and references

Cyanogen is a chemical compound (C N)₂. The CN entity behaves like a halogen. Cyanogen molecules consist of two CN groups (analogous to diatomic halogen molecules, such as F₂, Cl₂, Br₂, or I₂). 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 that are considered derivatives of cyanogen. Cyanogen chloride (N C Cl), for example, is considered (for the purposes of naming) to be cyanogen with one cyano group replaced with a chlorine atom.

1 Physical properties
2 Preparation
3 History
4 Toxic effects
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Physical properties

Cyanogen, at room temperature, is a colorless gas with a pungent odor. Its melting point is −27.9°C (−18.2°F) & 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.

[edit] Preparation

Cyanogen can be prepared in the laboratory by heating mercuric 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.^[1]