Description
Sodium cyanate belongs to the sodium salt of cyanic acid, which is commonly applied in the fields of chemical industry and medicine. Its industrial application is to serve as an intermediate in the production of dye-stuffs, bulk drug, heat treatment salts for metals, fungicides, herbicides, and photographic initiators. It is also an ideal nucleophile. The nucleophile properties of sodium cyanate makes it a major contributor to the stereospecificity in certain reactions such as in the production of chiral oxazolidone. Besides, it also acts as a reagent in the production of asymmetrical urea which have a range of biological activity mostly in aryl isocyanate intermediates. These intermediates and sodium cyanate have been applied in medicine, displaying counterbalancing carcinogenic effects on human body, which is probably effective with sickle cell anemia and helpful to block certain receptors for melanin which has been indicated to be helpful with obesity.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_cyanate
http://www.recentlab.com/sodiumcyanate.htm
http://www.jfine.co.jp/eng/chemicals/use/cyanate/index.html
Chemical Properties
white powder or crystals
Uses
Sodium Cyanate is used in biological study as tumor cell proliferation and metabolism inhibition.
Uses
Organic synthesis, heat treating of steel, inter-
mediate for manufacture of medicinals.
Definition
ChEBI: Sodium cyanate is a cyanate salt and a one-carbon compound.
Flammability and Explosibility
Non flammable
Safety Profile
Poison by ingestion,
intraperitoneal, and intramuscular routes.
Human systemic effects by ingestion: weight
loss, changes in the visual field, and other
eye effects. See also CYANATES. When
heated to decomposition it emits very toxic
fumes of CNand Na2O.
Purification Methods
It forms colourless needles from EtOH. Its solubility in EtOH is 0.22g/100g at 0oC. It is soluble in H2O but can be recrystallised from small volumes of it.
