Registration Dossier

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Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.

The new ECHA CHEM database has been released by ECHA, and it now contains all REACH registration data. There are more details on the transition of ECHA's published data to ECHA CHEM here.

Diss Factsheets

Environmental fate & pathways

Endpoint summary

Administrative data

Description of key information

Additional information

Sodium cyanide is highly soluble in water, forming sodium ion and free cyanide. The pKa of sodium cyanide is 9.36 at 20 degrees C; it is hydrated to hydrogen cyanide under circumneutral conditions. Hydrolysis of HCN, to formic acid and ammonia, is normally a very slow reaction and it does not play a role under natural environmental conditions.

Photolysis of hydrogen cyanide may occur in the presence of hydroxyl ions in the atmsophere. The range of half-life values for photo-oxidation (not including oceanic uptake) is 0.06 years to 11 years. Photolysis in water may be an important process for iron cyanide complexes, depending on the penetration of UV and visible light.