Unprecedented iron-assisted room temperature synthesis of AgCN using acetonitrile

Abstract

A straightforward and convenient approach for producing AgCN at room temperature using acetonitrile as a source has been developed, employing various iron salts. To date, there have been no prior studies documenting the synthesis of AgCN by cleaving the C-CN bond in acetonitrile with the use of iron salts. The resulting highly crystalline material was subjected to characterization through XRD and FT-IR analysis. Additionally, the same process was used for C-CN bond breaking using Ag₂S or via the formation of an AgS_xO_y composite. Consequently, this report is primarily dedicated to exploring the efficacy of different iron salts in breaking the C-CN bond in CH₃CN. A theoretical investigation of the proposed experimental scheme has also been performed to confer the feasibility of the reaction.