When cyanide is treated with chlorine gas, what product is formed?

When cyanide is treated with chlorine gas, what product is formed?

• A. Cyanate
• B. Chloride
• C. Chlorite
• D. Nitrate

Answer: (A)

Cyanide is oxidized by chlorine gas to cyanate. In this redox couple, chlorine acts as the oxidant and is reduced to chloride, while the carbon in cyanide goes from its low oxidation state to form the cyanate ion (OCN−). This is a common oxidation pathway for cyanide in aqueous chlorine systems, converting a highly toxic form into a less hazardous cyanate. The other options don’t fit because forming chloride would require a different balance of electrons that doesn’t account for the carbon oxidation to cyanate, while nitrate would need additional oxidation steps incorporating more oxygens, and chlorite involves a different oxyanion formation not typically driven by chlorine gas with cyanide under standard treatment conditions.

Cyanide is oxidized by chlorine gas to cyanate. In this redox couple, chlorine acts as the oxidant and is reduced to chloride, while the carbon in cyanide goes from its low oxidation state to form the cyanate ion (OCN−). This is a common oxidation pathway for cyanide in aqueous chlorine systems, converting a highly toxic form into a less hazardous cyanate.

The other options don’t fit because forming chloride would require a different balance of electrons that doesn’t account for the carbon oxidation to cyanate, while nitrate would need additional oxidation steps incorporating more oxygens, and chlorite involves a different oxyanion formation not typically driven by chlorine gas with cyanide under standard treatment conditions.