sodium cyanide

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.

sodium cyanide

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sodium cyanide¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

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

Founded more than a century ago, Draslovka produces chemicals used in the mining and agricultural industries, including highly toxic sodium cyanide.

From Reuters

Chemicals such as sodium cyanide and diesel can be also used in the mining process.

From BBC

The privately-held Czech company is the world's leading sodium cyanide maker.

From Reuters

She also had sodium cyanide on her, authorizes said.

From Fox News