sodium cyanide

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. a white, crystalline, deliquescent, water-soluble, poisonous powder, NaCN, prepared by heating sodium amide with charcoal: used chiefly in casehardening alloys, in the leaching and flotation of ore, and in electroplating.

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sodium cyanide British  

noun

1. a white odourless crystalline soluble poisonous compound with an odour of hydrogen cyanide when damp. It is used for extracting gold and silver from their ores and for case-hardening steel. Formula: NaCN

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Etymology

Origin of sodium cyanide

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

It also confirmed there were no containers on board carrying sodium cyanide, as had been initially feared.

From BBC

Lloyds List, a shipping data company, said on Monday that it was carrying sodium cyanide.

From BBC

It later emerged that the Stena Immaculate was carrying jet fuel for the US defence department, while the Solong was carrying containers that previously contained the chemical sodium cyanide, among other cargo.

From BBC

The Solong was carrying 15 containers of sodium cyanide among its cargo, according to a report from maritime data provider Lloyd's List Intelligence.

From BBC

This is then "washed" by his group at a makeshift plant to separate the gold using dangerous chemicals like mercury and sodium cyanide.

From BBC