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Revision as of 03:45, 20 August 2006 by Spoon! (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The cyanate ion is an anion consisting of one oxygen atom, one carbon atom, and one nitrogen atom (OCN), in that order, and possesses 1 unit of negative charge, borne mainly by the nitrogen atom. In organic compounds the cyanate group is a functional group.
The cyanate ion is an ambident nucleophile in nucleophilic substitution because it can react to form an alkyl cyanate R-OCN (exception) or an alkyl isocyanate R-NCO (rule). Aryl cyanates (C6H5OCN) can be formed by a reaction of phenol with cyanogen chloride (ClCN) in the presence of a base.
Cyanates are salts of cyanic acid for example potassium cyanate (KNCO).
The 'cyanate ion is relatively non-toxic in comparison to cyanides. Use of this fact is made in cyanide decontamination processes where a permanganate oxidation converts toxic cyanide to cyanate.
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| Hydrocarbons (only C and H) | |||||||||||||||
| Only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (only C, H and O) |
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| Only one element, not being carbon, hydrogen, or oxygen (one element, not C, H or O) |
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| Other | |||||||||||||||
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