I have about 80 grams of K4Fe(CN)6 that was heated to burn off the water, supposedly
K4[Fe(CN)6]•3H2O into K4Fe(CN)6, although i don't know for sure that's what happened
chemically. Anyway, I want to dispose of it. I thought about adding it to household bleach to produce cyanate, but this web page says that "Inert cyanides such as ferricyanide can only be destroyed by photoactivation (using UV - H2O2)".
I'm assuming this would apply to ferro as well, and I don't have the sophistication to use that method. So how can 80 grams be disposed of safely?
Trash? Toilet? What? Thanks in advance for any advice you have.
[Edited on 7-6-2012 by RisingSun96815]woelen - 6-6-2012 at 22:33
Put it in a closed plastic bag and dispose of it with the normal household waste. If you want to be really sure wrap another bag around the first one
and close this as well. It will be burned and it contains no real toxic material. Iron is not very toxic and the cyanide ligands will be destroyed in
burning the household waste.Zan Divine - 7-6-2012 at 10:50
A general note on chemical disposal;
You can download a free PDF copy of Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Management of Chemical Hazards, Updated Version at....
This book (~$100) describes the steps needed to address any wastes you're likely to generate. It was the go-to source for anything our lab destroyed
in-house.
[Edited on 7-6-2012 by Zan Divine]kristofvagyok - 7-6-2012 at 11:08
Ferrocyanides are not that toxic as people think they are. Because there is several cyanide (NC) groups in it... It won't kill you.
Just some data:
ORAL (LD50): Acute: 6400 mg/kg [Rat]. 5000 mg/kg
[Mouse].
If the ferrocyanide is not contacted with strong concentrated acids then there will be no problem. -and as we know there is not too much
polyphosphoric acid, sulfuric ect. in the commercial wasteZan Divine - 7-6-2012 at 13:47
I could be wrong but I think that ferrocyanides present a hazard to marine life after irradiation by sunlight.
It isn't just toxicity to us that matters.kristofvagyok - 7-6-2012 at 16:16
I could be wrong but I think that ferrocyanides present a hazard to marine life after irradiation by sunlight.
If it won't be placed in a 10 liter spherical tank with 2 goldfish in it under a 20W UV bulb... No problem will happen.
But someone is such worried about this, make the iron-ferrocyanide, prussian blue, as I remember it is almost insoluble and really stable.
Or just give it to the local chem supplier in a well sealed bottle, with the proper signs.
[Edited on 8-6-2012 by kristofvagyok]Zan Divine - 7-6-2012 at 19:57
Of course, you're right. Your amount is inconsequential compared to all that enters runoff water in areas where the road salt contains a tiny amount
of ferrocyanide (or ferricyanide, too lazy to look it up). I think it's an anticaking agent.AJKOER - 9-6-2012 at 01:24
Read the link on the recommended paths to destroying the potassium ferrocyanide.
As the reference recommended excess H2O2 in a high pH environment, the answer that occurred to me is use Oxyclean. Surprisingly, this common
inexpensive household oxygen bleach (as generic substitutes are sold, no need to pay the brand name price) did not highly recommended it use to
destroy all ones ferrocyanides. Nevertheless, as it is chemically basic Na2CO3 with H2O2 attached, applying an excess of it may do the job.
Note, the discredited alternative is that other chlorine bleach (I can hear the new Oxyclean commercial now, or perhaps not).
