Sciencemadness Discussion Board
Not logged in [Login ]
Go To Bottom

Printable Version  
Author: Subject: Lithium Carbide turning into hydrogen cyanide?
symboom
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1143
Registered: 11-11-2010
Location: Wrongplanet
Member Is Offline

Mood: Doing science while it is still legal since 2010

[*] posted on 21-1-2012 at 16:42
Lithium Carbide turning into hydrogen cyanide?


so it made some lithium carbide by reaction of elements lithium metal and carbon powder now the lithium has black corrosion probally lithium nitride now does that react with carbon to form lithium cyanide. the reason i say this i reacted with water and it did not smell like acetylene at first smelled kinda different now i dont know what hydrogen cyanide smells like but is the reaction possible?
View user's profile View All Posts By User
AndersHoveland
Hazard to Other Members, due to repeated speculation and posting of untested highly dangerous procedures!
*****




Posts: 1986
Registered: 2-3-2011
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 21-1-2012 at 16:46


I think it could be possible, but I am not completely sure.

The surface of calcium metal will supposedly* (I am not entirely certain) react if exposed to a nitrogen atmosphere, and lithium metal can be burned in nitrogen (unlike sodium), so it does not seem implausible that lithium carbide could potentially slowly react with nitrogen gas at ambient temperatures.

you might read
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja02222a004

An analysis of lithium carbide that was heated (420 C) and treated with nitrogen gas showed that treated lithium carbide afterward contained
1.63% nitrogen in the form of cyanamide
0.27% nitrogen in the form of dicyanamide
0.18% nitrogen in the form of cyanide
Journal of the American Chemical Society, Volume 33, p1484

*see http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=47021.0

[Edited on 22-1-2012 by AndersHoveland]
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User

  Go To Top