cyanide
Enable an agent to identify cyanide-bearing material, distinguish its chemical forms, assess the evidence for its condition and hazards, and determine which handling or assessment decisions require qualified review.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
recalled by Codex without web access - no source was read
Researched by: Codex
Purpose and description
Enable an agent to identify cyanide-bearing material, distinguish its chemical forms, assess the evidence for its condition and hazards, and determine which handling or assessment decisions require qualified review.
Cyanide is the carbon-nitrogen anion CN− and, by extension, a class of compounds containing this group, whose chemical behavior and toxicity depend on whether it is free, protonated, or bound in a complex.
It can be Resolve an ambiguous cyanide label to a specific substance, complex or analytical target.; Compare cyanide measurements after checking method, matrix, units and reporting basis.; Link a cyanide-bearing material to the separate hydrogen cyanide model when relevant to its assessed condition.; Flag missing identity, speciation or containment evidence that prevents a handling decision.; Retrieve applicable classifications and exposure criteria for the identified form and jurisdiction.; Route release concerns or proposed material changes to qualified safety review..
Distinguishing features
A record must identify cyanide as CN−, a cyanide ligand or an explicitly defined cyanide measurement; elemental carbon and nitrogen content alone is insufficient.
A cyanide salt or coordination complex has an associated counterion or coordination identity; these cannot be omitted when assigning substance properties.
Hydrogen cyanide is a distinct molecular substance with its own registry entry, although its relationship to cyanide speciation belongs here.
An organic nitrile group does not by itself justify treating the compound as free cyanide.
Free, total and other operationally defined cyanide results describe different analytical targets and are not interchangeable without supporting method evidence.
Scope
+ The intended chemical meaning of cyanide in a record, including ionic, coordinated and analytically defined forms
+ Cyanide-bearing composition, counterions, complexing species, grade, purity and relevant impurities
+ Physical state and environmental conditions that affect cyanide speciation or release
+ Measured cyanide content, analytical definitions, uncertainty and sample provenance
+ Species-specific hazard evidence, containment state and applicable regulatory identity
- The complete substance model for separately registered hydrogen cyanide
- Organic nitriles as a general compound family, without evidence that cyanide assessment applies
- Complete models of products, ores, wastes or effluents containing cyanide
- Industrial extraction, synthesis, plating or treatment processes
- Clinical diagnosis and treatment of cyanide poisoning
- Detailed operating procedures for producing, releasing or destroying cyanide
Characteristics
- Cyanide identity and binding form
- ionic cyanide | cyanide salt | coordinated cyanide | mixed forms | analytically defined cyanide | unresolved Determines which substance records, measurements and hazard evidence apply.
- Counterion and coordination identity
- Linked counterion, central atom and identified compound or complex Distinguishes materials that share cyanide content but differ in properties and behaviour.
- Cyanide content and reporting basis
- mg/L, mg/kg, mol/L or mass fraction; specify whether reported as CN, HCN or a named compound Prevents comparisons or conversions that silently mix chemical and mass bases.
- Analytical cyanide fraction
- free | total | weak-acid-dissociable | other method-defined fraction | unspecified States what the reported result actually measures.
- Grade, purity and impurities
- Declared grade; assay and impurity values in mass % or mg/kg, with method and uncertainty Supports suitability decisions and identifies constituents that may affect stability or measurement.
- Matrix and physical state
- Identified solid, solution, slurry, gas-containing system or other matrix, with observation conditions A dissolved constituent cannot inherit the bulk properties of a pure salt.
- Speciation conditions
- pH where applicable, temperature in °C or K, and relevant matrix composition Provides context for interpreting chemical form and possible hydrogen cyanide presence.
- Substance identifiers
- Verified CAS, PubChem CID, EC or jurisdictional identifiers attached to the exact identified entity Avoids assigning one member's identifiers to the entire cyanide family.
- Hazard classification and exposure criteria
- Linked classification or limit with species, jurisdiction, source, date, units and averaging period Makes hazard and compliance judgments traceable to their actual scope.
- Containment and assessment status
- Verified contained | suspected release | confirmed release | unassessed; include evidence timestamp Separates documented conditions from assumptions about safe handling.
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.cyanide
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 19 findings · 32 questions.
Cyanide identity and registry boundary Establishes what cyanide means in the particular record.
The family label alone does not identify a unique substance or justify transferring properties between members.
Chemical sense
Distinguishes ionic cyanide, salts, coordinated forms and analytical labels.
Identify the cyanide form
Record the chemical entity or operational meaning supported by the available evidence.
- Does cyanide here denote CN−, a named salt, a coordination complex, a mixture or an analytical result? definition
- Which label, composition record or analytical evidence supports that interpretation? provenance
Neighbouring substances
Preserves the boundary with hydrogen cyanide and organic nitriles.
Link related substances without duplicating them
Keep species-specific ownership explicit when cyanide terminology crosses registry boundaries.
- Which information belongs to the separately registered hydrogen cyanide model, and which relationship must remain here? boundary
- If an organic nitrile is involved, what evidence makes cyanide assessment relevant beyond the presence of its nitrile group? boundary
Cyanide-bearing composition Records the material context in which cyanide occurs.
Counterions, coordination, purity and matrix determine which properties can meaningfully be attached to a record.
Compound and grade
Identifies the specific compound and its supplied or observed composition.
Establish material identity and assay
Associate identifiers and composition claims with the exact cyanide-bearing material.
- What counterion, coordination centre, formula and hydration state are established for this material? definition
- What grade, assay and relevant impurities are documented, and by which source or method? measurement
- Do the cited CAS, PubChem and EC identifiers refer to this exact form? provenance
Matrix and bulk properties
Separates cyanide as a constituent from the physical properties of its host material.
Assign physical properties to the correct material
Require composition and conditions before recording phase or characteristic constants.
- Is cyanide present in a pure compound, solution, ore, waste or another identified matrix? boundary
- For any melting point, boiling point, solubility or decomposition observation, what exact material, units and conditions were measured? measurement
Cyanide speciation and change Tracks evidence about chemical form under the material's actual conditions.
A cyanide content value alone does not establish how cyanide is bound or whether hydrogen cyanide may be present.
Observed speciation
Connects reported forms to measured conditions and the limits of interpretation.
Record speciation evidence
Distinguish directly measured species from inferred distributions.
- Which cyanide species were directly measured, and which were inferred from a chemical model? measurement
- What pH, temperature, coordination chemistry and matrix evidence support those inferences? provenance
Condition-dependent change
Identifies changes that require reassessment of speciation or release potential.
Reassess changing conditions
Link documented or proposed changes to a qualified assessment of cyanide behaviour.
- What evidence addresses changes in cyanide binding or hydrogen cyanide presence under the observed storage or environmental conditions? provenance
- Which proposed changes in acidity, temperature, illumination or matrix composition require specialist review before action? action
Cyanide measurement evidence Makes cyanide results interpretable and comparable.
Method-defined cyanide fractions, reporting bases and sample history can materially alter the meaning of a result.
Analytical target
Defines the cyanide fraction and mass basis represented by each measurement.
Define the reported result
Preserve the method's target definition instead of collapsing all results into cyanide concentration.
- Does the method report free, total, weak-acid-dissociable or another defined cyanide fraction? definition
- What are the value, units, reporting basis, detection limit and measurement uncertainty? measurement
Sample integrity
Records whether sampling and analysis support the intended interpretation.
Qualify result reliability
Carry sample history, method applicability and analytical limitations into decisions.
- What collection, preservation, transport and analysis records establish the sample's provenance and condition? provenance
- Which matrix interferences, recovery results or possible sample changes limit interpretation? measurement
- Are two results comparable in target fraction, method and reporting basis, or must comparison remain unresolved? boundary
Cyanide hazards and permitted decisions Connects the identified material and its condition to sourced hazard assessments and action constraints.
Neither the cyanide family name nor a single concentration supports a complete safety or regulatory judgment.
Applicable hazard evidence
Scopes classifications and limits to the relevant substance, mixture and jurisdiction.
Scope classifications and limits
Attach authoritative hazard information only where its chemical and regulatory scope matches.
- Which current classification or safety data source applies to this exact cyanide compound or mixture? provenance
- Which exposure or environmental criterion applies, with what jurisdiction, species basis, units and averaging period? measurement
Containment and action gates
Uses documented condition and established controls to determine whether an action can proceed.
Determine review and escalation
Represent containment evidence, qualified authorization and unresolved hazards without embedding hazardous operating procedures.
- What current observations establish containment status or indicate a suspected release? measurement
- What approved controls and qualified authorization are required for the proposed handling, transfer or disposal action? action
- Which missing evidence or observed condition requires stopping the proposed action and invoking the established safety response? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- The unqualified registry name is ambiguous between the cyanide anion and the broader class of cyanide compounds; this description covers both without treating them as one pure substance.
- Melting point, boiling point, purity specifications, exposure limits, and regulatory classifications require a specified compound or mixture.
- This is recalled knowledge without consulted sources; analytical distinctions between free, available, and total cyanide should be checked against the intended measurement method.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of cyanide this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Simple cyanide salts, such as sodium cyanide and potassium cyanide
- Metal-cyanide coordination complexes
- Free cyanide, an analytical category encompassing CN− and hydrogen cyanide
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of cyanide this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Chemical formula - CN− - Identifies the cyanide anion; individual cyanide compounds have separate formulas.
- CAS Registry Number - 57-12-5 - Identifies the cyanide anion, not every cyanide-containing substance.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of cyanide this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS); classification depends on the particular compound and formulation.
- European Union Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation; substance-specific classifications apply.
- United States OSHA Hazard Communication Standard; covers hazard communication for hazardous cyanide substances and mixtures.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of cyanide this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Extraction of gold and silver through formation of soluble metal-cyanide complexes
- Metal electroplating using cyanide-containing baths
- Chemical synthesis using cyanide as a reagent
- Metal coordination chemistry and manufacture of certain pigments
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of cyanide this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Molar mass of the cyanide anion - Approximately 26.02 - g/mol
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of cyanide this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Bioavailable cyanide inhibits mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase, impairing cellular oxygen use and potentially causing rapidly fatal poisoning.
- Acidification of solutions containing free cyanide can release highly toxic hydrogen cyanide gas.
- Toxic exposure can occur through inhalation, ingestion, or skin absorption, depending on the compound and exposure conditions.
- Cyanide-containing releases can harm aquatic organisms; effects depend strongly on chemical form and environmental conditions.
- Treating all cyanide complexes as equally toxic, or assuming that complexation guarantees safety, can produce serious assessment errors.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of cyanide this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Occupational exposure limits, transport requirements, and environmental discharge limits differ by jurisdiction and chemical species.
- Permitting and restrictions on cyanide use in mining vary between countries and subnational jurisdictions.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of cyanide this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- hydrogen cyanide - HCN is a specific neutral molecular compound and the conjugate acid of CN−; it warrants substance-specific physical properties and hazards.
- sodium cyanide - NaCN is a particular cyanide salt with its own composition, identifiers, and physical properties.
- nitrile - A nitrile contains a covalently attached carbon-nitrogen triple-bond group, usually written R-C≡N; that group does not by itself establish the presence of free cyanide.
- cyanate - Cyanate is OCN− and contains oxygen; it is chemically distinct from CN−.
- thiocyanate - Thiocyanate is SCN− and contains sulfur; it is chemically distinct from CN−.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of cyanide this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Does the originating registry intend cyanide specifically as CN−, as a compound family or as a broader analytical category?
- Does an existing world model already own this concept, requiring a registry link instead of a separate publication?
- Which authoritative sources establish the included salt and coordination-complex boundaries and their identifiers?
- Which analytical definitions and methods should be supported for the intended matrices, and under what conditions can their results be compared?
- Which jurisdictions and material forms must the first researched publication cover for classifications, exposure criteria and disposal constraints?