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.