Barium thiocyanate
Barium thiocyanate refers to salts of the formula
Ba(SCN)2.xH2O. Both an anhydrous salt and a trihydrate are known. The anhydrous salt is hygroscopic. The trihydrate is soluble in most alcohols but insoluble in simple alkanes. Barium thiocyanate is used in dyeing textiles and in some photographic solutions. But because of its toxicity, it has limited uses.Preparation and structure
Barium thiocyanate is prepared by mixing barium hydroxide and ammonium thiocyanate in water.
- 2 NH4SCN + Ba(OH)2 → Ba(SCN)2 + 2 NH3 + 2 H2O
According to X-ray crystallography, the anhydrous salt is a coordination polymer. The Ba2+ ions are each bonded to eight thiocyanate anions, with four Ba-S and four Ba-N bonds. The motif is reminiscent of the fluorite structure. Strontium thiocyanate, calcium thiocyanate, and lead thiocyanate adopt the same structure.