Mercuric thiocyanate

Description

A white crystalline powder that is used in photography as an image intensifier. Mercuric thiocyanate is also used in pyrotechnics.

Synonyms and Related Terms

mercury (II) thiocyanate; mercuric sulfocyanate; mercuric sulfocyanide; Pharaoh's serpents

Risks

• Highly toxic by ingestion, inhalation and skin absorption.
• Fisher Scientific: MSDS

Physical and Chemical Properties

Slightly soluble in hot water, ethanol and dilute hydrochloric acid Insoluble in cold water.

Composition	Hg(SCN)2
CAS	592-85-8
Molecular Weight	mol. wt. = 316.76

Resources and Citations

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 5946