How Does Silver Cyanide React With Other Chemicals?

Silver cyanide (AgCN) is a white or pale yellow powder that is sparingly soluble in water. It is primarily used in electroplating and as a reagent in organic synthesis. When silver cyanide reacts with other chemicals, the products formed depend on the nature of the reactant.

1. Acidic solutions: When silver cyanide is treated with dilute acids, hydrogen cyanide gas (HCN) is evolved, and silver chloride (AgCl) is formed. For example:

AgCN + HCl → AgCl + HCN

2. Alkalis: Silver cyanide reacts with alkalis to form silver oxide (Ag2O) and sodium or potassium cyanide (NaCN or KCN). For example:

2AgCN + 2KOH → Ag2O + 2KCN + H2O

3. Halogens: Silver cyanide reacts with halogens such as chlorine (Cl2) and bromine (Br2) to form silver halides (AgX) and hydrogen cyanide gas (HCN). For example:

AgCN + Cl2 → AgCl + HCN

4. Metal ions: Silver cyanide can form insoluble precipitates with metal ions such as copper (II) ions (Cu2+) to form silver(I) complexes. For example:

AgCN + CuSO4 → Ag2SO4 + Cu(CN)2

5. Organic compounds: Silver cyanide is a useful reagent for the synthesis of organic compounds such as nitriles. In the presence of water, it can react with primary alkyl halides to give nitriles. For example:

CH3CH2Br + AgCN → CH3CH2CN + AgBr

Overall, the reactivity of silver cyanide is primarily due to the weakly bound cyanide ligand, which is readily displaced by other ligands in a variety of chemical reactions.