Rubidium cyanide (

chemical formula In chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, ...

: RbCN) is the

rubidium Rubidium is the chemical element with the symbol Rb and atomic number 37. It is a very soft, whitish-grey solid in the alkali metal group, similar to potassium and caesium. Rubidium is the first alkali metal in the group to have a density hig ...

salt of

hydrogen cyanide Hydrogen cyanide, sometimes called prussic acid, is a chemical compound with the formula HCN and structure . It is a colorless, extremely poisonous, and flammable liquid that boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is produced on a ...

. It is a white solid, easily soluble in water, with a smell reminiscent of bitter almonds, and somewhat similar in appearance to sugar. Rubidium cyanide has chemical properties similar to

potassium cyanide Potassium cyanide is a compound with the formula KCN. This colorless crystalline salt, similar in appearance to sugar, is highly soluble in water. Most KCN is used in gold mining, organic synthesis, and electroplating. Smaller applications i ...

, and is similarly very toxic.

Production

Rubidium cyanide can be synthesized by the reaction of

and rubidium hydroxide in alcohol or ether:Rubidium cyanide
(in Chinese). ChemYQ. :HCN + RbOH → RbCN + H₂O.

References

{{Cyanides Cyanides Rubidium compounds