Gold(I) cyanide
Gold(I) cyanide is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula AuCN. It is the binary cyanide of gold(I). It is an odourless, tasteless yellow solid.[4] Wet gold(I) cyanide is unstable to light and will become greenish.[4] Gold(I) cyanide itself is only of academic interest, but its derivative dicyanoaurate is an intermediate in gold cyanidation, the extraction of gold from its ores.[5] PreparationSolid gold(I) cyanide precipitates upon reaction of potassium dicyanoaurate with hydrochloric acid: It can also be produced by the reaction of gold(III) chloride and potassium cyanide.[2] ReactionsThe solid dissolves to form water-soluble adducts with a variety of ligands: cyanides, hydroxide, ammonia, thiosulfate and hydrosulfide.[2] Like most gold compounds, it converts to metallic gold upon heating.[citation needed] StructureGold(I) cyanide's is a coordination polymer consisting of linear chains of AuCN such that each Au(I) center is bonded to carbon and nitrogen. The structure is hexagonal with the lattice parameters a = 3.40 Å and c = 5.09 Å.[2] T[6] References
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