AgCN reacts with haloalkanes to form isocyanide. Haloalkanes react wit...
AgCN is covalent in nature while KCN is ionic so KCN produces CN- in the solution.
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AgCN reacts with haloalkanes to form isocyanide. Haloalkanes react wit...
Cyanide ions, which are highly reactive and toxic, are commonly used in organic chemistry reactions. In the given question, AgCN (silver cyanide) and KCN (potassium cyanide) are used as sources of cyanide ions in different reactions with haloalkanes.
Explanation:
a) AgCN provides cyanide ions in solution:
- AgCN is an ionic compound composed of silver cations (Ag+) and cyanide anions (CN-).
- When AgCN is dissolved in water, it dissociates into Ag+ and CN- ions.
- The CN- ions provided by AgCN can react with haloalkanes to form isocyanides.
b) KCN is mainly covalent in nature:
- KCN is also an ionic compound composed of potassium cations (K+) and cyanide anions (CN-).
- However, the bond between the potassium cation and the cyanide anion is predominantly covalent in nature.
- This is because the difference in electronegativity between potassium and carbon is relatively small, resulting in a more covalent character of the bond.
c) KCN provides cyanide ions in solution:
- When KCN is dissolved in water, it dissociates into K+ and CN- ions.
- The CN- ions provided by KCN can react with haloalkanes to form alkyl cyanides as the main product.
d) AgCN is mainly ionic in nature:
- AgCN consists of a metal cation (Ag+) and a nonmetal anion (CN-).
- The electronegativity difference between silver and carbon is relatively large, leading to an ionic character of the bond.
- The ionic nature of AgCN is further supported by its solubility in water and ability to dissociate into Ag+ and CN- ions.
In summary, while both AgCN and KCN can provide cyanide ions in solution, the main difference lies in the nature of their bonding. AgCN is mainly ionic in nature, whereas KCN has a more covalent character.