Potassium cyanate

Potassium cyanate
Identifiers
${\ce {\mathsf {K+\ \ ^{-}N=C=O}}}$
CAS Number	590-28-3^Y
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
ChEBI	CHEBI:38904^Y
ChemSpider	11053^Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.008.798
EC Number	209-676-3
KEGG	C19067^N
PubChem	11378442
RTECS number	GS6825000
InChI InChI=1S/CHNO.K/c2-1-3;/h3H;/q;+1/p-1^Y Key: GKKCIDNWFBPDBW-UHFFFAOYSA-M^Y InChI=1/CHNO.K/c2-1-3;/h3H;/q;+1/p-1 Key: GKKCIDNWFBPDBW-REWHXWOFAI
SMILES C(#N)[O-].[K+]
Properties
Chemical formula	KOCN
Molar mass	81.1151 g/mol
Appearance	white, crystalline powder
Density	2.056 g/cm³
Melting point	315 °C (599 °F; 588 K)
Boiling point	~ 700 °C (1,292 °F; 973 K) decomposes
Solubility in water	75 g/100 mL
Solubility	very slightly soluble in alcohol
Structure
Crystal structure	tetragonal
Hazards
R-phrases	R22
S-phrases	S24, S25
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
LD₅₀ (median dose)	841 mg/kg (oral, rat)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
N (what is ^YN ?)
Infobox references

Potassium cyanate is an inorganic compound with the formula KOCN (sometimes denoted KCNO). It is a colourless solid. It is used to prepare many other compounds including useful herbicide. Worldwide production of the potassium and sodium salts was 20,000 tons in 2006.

Cyanate is isoelectronic with carbon dioxide and with azide, being linear. The C-N distance is 121 pm, about 5 pm longer than for cyanide. Potassium cyanate is isostructural with potassium azide.

For most applications, the potassium and sodium salts can be used interchangeably. Potassium cyanate is often preferred to the sodium salt, which is less soluble in water and less readily available in pure form.

Potassium cyanate is used as a basic raw material for various organic syntheses, including, urea derivatives, semicarbazides, carbamates and isocyanates. For example, it is used to prepare the drug hydroxyurea. It is also used for the heat treatment of metals (e.g., Ferritic nitrocarburizing).

Potassium Cyanate has been used to reduce the percentage of sickled erythrocytes under certain conditions and has also increased the number of deformalities. In an aqueous solution, it has prevented irreversibly the in vitro sickling of hemoglobins containing human erythrocytes during deoxygenization. Veterinarians have also found potassium cyanate useful in that the cyanate salts and isocyanates can treat parasite diseases in both birds and mammals.

KOCN is prepared by heating urea with potassium carbonate at 400 °C:

The reaction produces a liquid. Intermediates and impurities include biuret, cyanuric acid, and potassium allophanate (KO₂CNHC(O)NH₂), as well as unreacted starting urea, but these species are unstable at 400 °C.

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