Nickel Tetracyanide

Nickel tetracyanide is a coordination compound with the chemical formula Ni(CN)4. In this compound, nickel(II) cations are coordinated to four cyanide ligands in a square planar geometry. The cyanide ligands are able to form strong covalent bonds with the nickel cation through their carbon and nitrogen atoms.

The compound is a greenish blue powder that is insoluble in water but soluble in most organic solvents. It is used as a reagent in analytical chemistry for the detection of metal ions, such as copper, silver, and mercury.

Nickel tetracyanide has a crystal structure that belongs to the space group Pnma. In the crystal lattice, the nickel cations and cyanide ligands are arranged in an alternating pattern, forming a three-dimensional network of coordination bonds. The compound exhibits antiferromagnetic behavior at low temperatures due to the presence of magnetic interactions between the nickel ions.

Overall, nickel tetracyanide is an interesting and useful compound due to its unique properties and applications in different fields of chemistry.