Potassium cyanide: Description General description Potassium cyanide

Description General description Potassium cyanide is a colorless hygroscopic compound. Its crystals exhibit cubic crystal system. It can be prepared by reacting hydrogen cyanide with potassium hydroxide. It participates in benzoin condensation reaction. What is Potassium Cyanide? Potassium cyanide is a form of cyanide salt which contains equal numbers of potassium cations (K+) and cyanide anions (CN-). Potassium cyanide is also called cyanide of potassium or cyanopotassium. The chemical formula of Potassium cyanide is KCN. Potassium cyanide is a white crystalline salt known for its extremely poisonous nature. It has a faint bitter almond-like odour because of the emission of some amount of hydrogen cyanide upon hydrolysis. The salt is used in metallurgy to extract gold and silver from their ores. Potassium hydroxide is a toxic compound; it affects all cells and organs by interfering with the ability of a cell to utilise oxygen. In this Chemistry article, you will learn about its structure, properties ... Approved by Dr. Thomas Dwan - Potassium cyanide is a highly toxic compound that can cause severe health issues, including death, upon exposure. Its mechanism of action disrupts cellular respiration, leading to symptoms like confusion, nausea, seizures, and cardiac arrest.