CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
| Physical Description | Cyanogen appears as a colorless gas with an odor of almonds. Freezes at -28 °C and boils at -20.7 °C. Shipped as a liquid confined under its vapor pressure. The gas is heavier than air and a flame can travel back to the source of leak very easily. Prolonged exposure to fire or intense heat may cause the containers to violently rupture and rocket. Used to make other chemicals, as a fumigant, and as a rocket propellant. |
|---|---|
| Color/Form | Colorless gas; burns with purple tinged flame |
| Odor | Almond-like odor, which is acrid and pungent in lethal concentrations |
| Boiling Point | -6.1 °F at 760 mmHg (USCG, 1999) |
| Melting Point | -18.2 °F (USCG, 1999) |
| Flash Point | Flammable gas |
| Solubility | 1 % (NIOSH, 2023) |
| Density | 0.954 at -5.8 °F (USCG, 1999) - Less dense than water; will float |
| Vapor Density | 1.82 (NIOSH, 2023) - Heavier than air; will sink (Relative to Air) |
| Vapor Pressure | 5.1 atm at 70 °F (NIOSH, 2023) |
| LogP | log Kow = 0.07 |
| Decomposition | ... When heated to decomposition ... it will ... produce highly toxic fumes. |
| Heat of Combustion | 258.3 kgcal/gmole @ 20 °C (gas) |
| Heat of Vaporization | 5.778 kcal/mole (liquid) |
| Ionization Potential | 13.57 eV |
| Polymerization | Polymerization may be caused by elevated temperature, oxidizers, peroxides, or sunlight. Insoluble paracyanogen polymer may form in vents and other confined spaces. |
| Odor Threshold | Odor threshold is >250 ppm |
| Refractive Index | Index of refraction: 1.327 @ 18 °C (liq) |
| Kovats Retention Index | 259.2 |
| Other Experimental Properties | CONVERSION FACTORS: 1 MG/L= 469.6 PPM & 1 PPM= 2.127 MG/CU M @ 25 °C, 760 MM HG |
| Chemical Classes | Nitrogen Compounds -> Nitriles |
COMPUTED DESCRIPTORS
| Molecular Weight | 52.03 g/mol |
|---|---|
| XLogP3 | 0.1 |
| Hydrogen Bond Donor Count | 0 |
| Hydrogen Bond Acceptor Count | 2 |
| Rotatable Bond Count | 0 |
| Exact Mass | 52.006148008 g/mol |
| Monoisotopic Mass | 52.006148008 g/mol |
| Topological Polar Surface Area | 47.6 Ų |
| Heavy Atom Count | 4 |
| Formal Charge | 0 |
| Complexity | 71.1 |
| Isotope Atom Count | 0 |
| Defined Atom Stereocenter Count | 0 |
| Undefined Atom Stereocenter Count | 0 |
| Defined Bond Stereocenter Count | 0 |
| Undefined Bond Stereocenter Count | 0 |
| Covalently-Bonded Unit Count | 1 |
| Compound Is Canonicalized | Yes |
PRODUCT INTRODUCTION
description
Cyanogen appears as a colorless gas with an odor of almonds. Freezes at -28 °C and boils at -20.7 °C. Shipped as a liquid confined under its vapor pressure. The gas is heavier than air and a flame can travel back to the source of leak very easily. Prolonged exposure to fire or intense heat may cause the containers to violently rupture and rocket. Used to make other chemicals, as a fumigant, and as a rocket propellant.