Mercury(II) thiocyanate
| |
| Names | |
|---|---|
| Other names
Mercuric thiocyanate
Mercuric sulfocyanate | |
| Identifiers | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.008.886 |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
|
|
| Properties | |
| Hg(SCN)2 | |
| Molar mass | 316.79 g/mol |
| Appearance | White monoclinic crystals |
| Density | 3.71 g/cm³, solid |
| Melting point | Decomposes at 165 °C |
| 0.070 g/100 mL | |
| Solubility in other solvents | Soluble in dilute hydrochloric acid[1] |
| Hazards | |
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
| |
Mercury(II) thiocyanate (Hg(SCN)2) is a chemical compound, the salt of Hg2+ and the thiocyanate anion. It was formerly used in pyrotechnics for the long snake-like ash, sometimes known as a Pharaoh's serpent, that forms when a pellet of this compound, often with a small amount of a sugar such as glucose added to serve as supplemental fuel, is ignited. This use is hazardous because it produces poisonous mercury vapors.
Mercury(II) thiocyanate is made by reacting a mercury(II) salt (such as mercury(II) chloride) with a thiocyanate salt (such as potassium thiocyanate) in aqueous solution, producing a precipitate of mercury(II) thiocyanate.
References
- ^ Lide, David R. (1998), Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (87 ed.), Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, pp. 4–70, ISBN 0849305942