Aluminium cyanide
Chemical compound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aluminium cyanide is a metallic cyanide with a chemical formula of Al(CN)3.[1] It is a white solid that undergoes hydrolysis to produce aluminium hydroxide and hydrogen cyanide.[2]
| Identifiers | |
|---|---|
3D model (JSmol) |
|
| ChemSpider | |
PubChem CID |
|
| |
| |
| Properties | |
| C3AlN3 | |
| Molar mass | 105.036 g·mol−1 |
| Appearance | white solid |
| Reacts | |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
| |
Synthesis and properties
Aluminium cyanide was first produced in 1924 as its ammoniate, Al(CN)3·5NH3, by reacting aluminium metal and mercury(II) cyanide in liquid ammonia to prevent hydrolysis.[1]
- 2 Al + 3 Hg(CN)2 → 2 Al(CN)3 + 3 Hg
When the ammoniate contacts water, it produces aluminium hydroxide, ammonia, and ammonium cyanide.[1]
The compound was produced in 2001 by the reaction of lithium tetrachloroaluminate and trimethylsilyl cyanide in diethyl ether. Its atoms form a lattice, and X-ray crystallography shows that its crystals form an octahedral Prussian-blue-like structure.[3]
