Drinking
Water
Criteria
Document
for
Cyanogen
Chloride
and
Potential
Metabolites
II­
1
EPA/
OW/
OST/
HECD
Final
draft
Chapter
II.
Physical
and
Chemical
Properties
As
discussed
in
detail
in
Chapter
3,
cyanogen
chloride
is
metabolized
to
cyanide
and
thiocyanate;
based
on
water
chemistry
cyanate,
cyanamide,
and
HCL
are
also
hypothesized
to
be
putative
metabolites
of
cyanogen
chloride.
Therefore,
the
physical
and
chemical
properties
of
cyanogen
chloride,
as
well
as
its
identified
or
putative
metabolites,
are
summarized
in
Table
II­
1.

Because
the
potassium
salts
of
thiocyanate
and
cyanate
are
much
more
common
than
the
acid
forms,
information
is
presented
for
both
forms
of
these
metabolites.

Table
II­
1.
Physical
and
Chemical
Properties
of
Cyanogen
Chloride
and
its
Potential
Metabolites
Characteristic
Cyanogen
chloride
Hydrogen
Cyanide
Thiocyanic
acid
Cyanic
acid
Cyanamide
Hydrogen
chloride
CAS
#
506­
77­
4
74­
90­
8
463­
56­
9
(
333­
20­
0
for
the
potassium
[
K+]
salt)
420­
05­
3
(
590­
28­
3
for
the
potassium
[
K+]
salt)
420­
04­
2
7647­
01­
0
RTECS
#
GT2275000
MW6825000
ND
(
XL1925000
for
the
K+
salt)
ND
(
GS6825000
for
the
K+
salt)
GS5950000
ND
Molecular
Weight
61.48
27.03
(
49
for
NaCN
and
65
for
KCN)
59.09
(
97.18
for
the
K+
salt)
43.03
(
81.12
for
the
K+
salt)
42.04
(
80.1
for
calcium
cyanamide)
36.46
Form
colorless
gas
or
liquid
colorless
gas
or
liquid
ND
(
K+
salt:
crystalline
form:
colorless,
rhombic
prisms,
deliquescent)
colorless
gas
or
liquid
(
K+
salt:
crystalline
form:
colorless,
tetrahedral
crystals)
crystalline
solid,
commonly
used
in
25%
liquid
solution
colorless
gas
or
liquid
Drinking
Water
Criteria
Document
for
Cyanogen
Chloride
and
Potential
Metabolites
Characteristic
Cyanogen
chloride
Hydrogen
Cyanide
Thiocyanic
acid
Cyanic
acid
Cyanamide
Hydrogen
chloride
II­
2
EPA/
OW/
OST/
HECD
Final
draft
N
C
N
C
a
N
H
H
C
N
S
C
N
H
­
+
O
C
N
H+
­
H
Cl
H
C
N
C
N
Cl
Chemical
formula
ClCN
HCN
HSCN
(
KSCN)
HOCN
(
KOCN)
CH2N2
[
Calcium
Cyanamide]
HCl
Boiling
point
(

C)
12.7
25.7
ND
(
500
for
K+
salt)
23.5
(
ND
for
K+
salt)
140
­
84.9
Melting
point
(

C)
­
6
­
13.4
ND
(
173
for
K+
salt)
­
81
(
315
for
K+
salt)
42
(
46)
­
114.8
Density/
Specific
gravity
1.2
0.6884
ND
(
1.886
for
K+
salt)
1.140
(
2.056
for
K+
salt)
1.282
1.187­
84.9
gas:
1.00045
g/
L
Solubility
water,
alcohol,
ether
ethanol,
ether
ND
(
K+
salt:
water,
alcohol,
acetone,
amyl
alcohol,
liquid
ammonia)
water,
ether,
benzene,
chloroform,
acetic
acid
(
K+
salt:
water,
alcohol)
water,
alcohol,
ethanol,
acetone,
benzene,
chloroform
water,
alcohol,
ethanol,
benzene
Adapted
from
Lide,
(
1992)
and
online
at
www.
chemfinder.
com
(
2000)
ND
=
No
data
available
