Sciencemadness Discussion Board

How dangerous is potassium ferricyanide?

e.liska - 14-9-2017 at 23:33

I got some potassium ferricynide. How dangerous it is regarding its toxicity? Acorring to the warnings on the botle, it is not toxic by itself, but releases toxic gases (HCN) when combined with acids. But there are acids in the human stomach. So what would happen if ingested? Or are the acids in the stomach too weak to release HCN?

Aqua-regia - 15-9-2017 at 00:09

The ferricyanide can rarely occuring poisonous effect compare with ferrocyanide. Latter react not with diluted acids in cold condition. The stomach liquid contains appr 0,05% HCl and in extreme case can releasing HCN. (Extreme case means: eating a lot ferricyanide and the stomach acidity (pH=1)enormous high.)

woelen - 15-9-2017 at 04:43

Potassium ferricyanide is marginally toxic. The cyanide ions are very tightly bound to the iron core of this ion and are not easily set free. You need rough circumstances to release a lot of cyanide from this compound. Dilute acids (a few percent of acid) hardly release any HCN.

Aqua-regia - 15-9-2017 at 05:35

My answer was citation of common literature, not opinion. I can also hard believe the poisonous property this one. But you know, every chemical coumponds are poisonous, it depends of dosis and circumstancies.

If you drink one day 10 liter drinking water you can die. If you eating too much NaCl you can also to exit.

Melgar - 16-9-2017 at 18:33

It's dangerous if you dropped it into a hot solution of a strong mineral acid, since that would release cyanide gas, but that's really the only thing that would liberate HCN from the iron that it's bound to, fast enough to be lethal.