1.

1 Background of Hydrogen cyanide

Cyanides are toxins that act quickly and can be fatal. For the first time in World War I, they were

utilized as chemical weapons. In industry and production, cyanides and cyanide-containing

compounds are also used. It is a chemical substance with the C≡N group in its name. The cyano

group is made up of a carbon atom that is triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. The cyanide group is

found as the anion CNˉ in inorganic cyanides. Sodium cyanide and potassium cyanide are

example of soluble salts of cyanide and they are toxic, and for Hydrocyanic acid, often known as

hydrogen cyanide or HCN, is a highly volatile liquid produced on a huge scale in the industrial

sector. It's made from cyanide salts that have been acidified.

HCN (hydrogen cyanide) is a very volatile, colorless, and exceedingly deadly liquid with a
molecular weight of 27.025 g/mol, boiling point 26° C [79° F], freezing point -14° C [7° F].
Hydrocyanic acid, often known as prussic acid, is a water-based solution of hydrogen cyanide.
Carl Wilhelm Scheele, a Swedish scientist, discovered it in 1782 when he created it from the
pigment Prussian blue. Many chemical processes involve hydrogen cyanide and related
derivatives, including fumigation, case hardening of iron and steel, electroplating, and mineral
concentration. It's also used to make acrylonitrile, which is used to make acrylic fibers, synthetic
rubber, and plastics.

Small amounts of hydrogen cyanide can be extracted from plants, where it is found in

conjunction with carbohydrates. Three main procedures are used to make large amounts of

hydrogen cyanide for laboratory and commercial use: (1) treatment of sodium cyanide with

sulfuric acid; (2) catalytic oxidation of a methane–ammonia combination; and (3) decomposition

of formamide (HCONH2). Although hydrogen cyanide is a excellent solvent for many salts, its

toxicity prevents it from being widely used. It is a stable molecule in its pure state, but it
polymerizes quickly when exposed to basic compounds like ammonia or sodium cyanide. The

salts are employed in a variety of operations, including ore extraction, electrolysis, and steel

treatment. The reactions with aldehydes and ketones to generate cyanohydrins, which are used as

intermediates in many chemical syntheses, and with ethylene oxide to form an intermediate

product that is transformed to acrylonitrile (CH2=CHCN) are two of the most important

reactions with organic molecules.

1.2 Background of Sodium hydroxide

The inorganic chemical sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda (Jacobs et al.,

1985), has the formula NaOH and a molecular weight of 39.9971 g mol−1. It's a white solid ionic

compound that's made up of sodium cations Na+ and hydroxide anions OHˉ. It is a caustic base

and alkali that decomposes proteins at normal room temperature and can result in serious

chemical burns. It's highly soluble in water and quickly collects moisture and carbon dioxide

from the atmosphere. It produces a sequence of hydrates, such as NaOH. nH₂O (Siemens et

al.,1969). At 12.3 ℃ and 61.8 ℃, the monohydrate NaOH. H₂O crystallizes from water

solutions. This monohydrate is frequently used in commercially available "sodium hydroxide,"

and published data may refer to it rather than the anhydrous component. Sodium hydroxide, as

one of the most basic hydroxides, is widely used to explain the pH scale to chemistry students,

alongside neutral water and acidic hydrochloric acid. Sodium hydroxide is utilized in a variety of

industries, including pulp and paper production, textiles, drinking water, soaps and detergents,

and as a drain cleaning. In 2004, global production was at 60 million tons, whereas demand was

around 51 million tons (Cetin and Bittner, 2016). Pure sodium hydroxide is a white solid that can

be found in pellets, flakes, granules, and a 50% saturated solution. Because it is liquescent and
easily absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, it should be kept in an airtight container. It has a high

water solubility and heat release. It dissolves in ethanol and methanol as well, however at a lesser

solubility than potassium hydroxide in both solvents. Ether and other non-polar solvents are

insoluble in it. And for Fabric and paper, it will be stained yellow if sodium hydroxide solution is

use. Soaps, rayon, paper, explosive products, colors, and petroleum products are all made with

sodium hydroxide. It's also good for things like cotton fabric processing, metal cleaning and

processing, oxide coating, electroplating, and electrolytic extraction.

1.3 Background of Sodium cyanide

Sodium cyanide is a common nitrogen-based chemical with the molecular weight of 49.0072

g/mol, utilized in a variety of applications from industrial manufacture to processing. It's usually

made from hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and in this case with NaOH i.e ( HCN l + NaOH aq →

NaCN S + H ₂ Ol ¿ .It can be utilized as a chemical intermediate for industrial uses when HCN isn't

available locally (Suresh and Kishi, 2003), and also it can be used to make HCN for fumigation

(IPCS, 2004), as well as for various purposes. However, it is primarily used as a lixiviant

(leaching solution) and processing of gold and silver ore in Australia, North and South America,

Africa, and China (Suresh and Kishi, 2003). Scheele developed the cyanidation reaction that

involves Sodium cyanide in Europe in 1783. In the 1880s, sodium cyanide was developed into a

practical mining method, and it is presently the most widely used lixiviant for extracting gold

from ore. Other mining and metal industries utilize sodium cyanide as a depressor agent in base

metal flotation, for electroplating copper and other metals, for surface hardening of iron and

steel, and as a metal cleaning agent. Sodium cyanide was apparently employed for a variety of

purposes in the past, but other options are now chosen, such as photography (ATSDR, 2006).