Mercuric oxycyanide

Galen, a physician whose views outUved him by about a thousand years, died about 200 AD. He beUeved that mercurials were toxic, and did not use any mercury compound therapeutically. However, as a result of Arabian influence, the therapeutic uses of mercury were slowly recognized by Western Europe. In the thirteenth century mercury ointments were prescribed for treating chronic diseases of the skin. Mercury and its compounds, such as mercurous chloride, mercuric oxide, mercuric chloride, and mercuric sulfide, were used widely from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries, and to some extent in the twentieth century. During the first half of the twentieth century, the primary therapeutic uses of mercury included bactericidal preparations, such as mercuric chloride, mercuric oxycyanide, and mercuric oxide and diuretics, such as aryl HgX (Novasural) and mercurated ahyl derivatives (14). 

SYNS MERCURIC OXYCYANIDE MERCURIC OXYCY ANIDE, solid (desensitized) pOT) MERCURY OXY CYANIDE... 

Mercuric Oxycyanide. Mercury cyanide oxide CjHgjNjO mol wt 469.26. C 5.12%, Hg 85.50%, N 5.97%, 0 3,41% HgO.Hg(CNK For reasons explained below, the article of commerce contains about 33% mercuric oxycyanide and about 67% mercuric cyanide. 

Hg2Cl2 (calomel) and mercuric oxycyanide are relatively less important they were used in the medical world as laxatives, diuretics, and as disinfectants. Calomel is only absorbed in small quantities, and was therefore used in former times as a laxative. However, it can be converted into the more easily absorbable divalent form in the intestine, and can thus cause poisoning. The sublimate... 

For the titrimetric determination of smaller quantities of chloride or bromide the method of Viebock is useful. This depends on the liberation of alkali when mercuric oxycyanide is added to a halide solution. Belcher, Macdonald and Nutten made modifications to the method which improve its accuracy, and their recommended procedure is as follows ... 

Mercuric oxycyanide, Hg0.3Hg(CN)2, Mol. Wt. 974 5 is an unionised salt. It may be assayed in one solution for both oxide and cyanide radicals by the method of Tagliavini. ... 

Eye Lotion of Mercuric Oxycyanide, B,N,F. Contains 0-03 per cent of mercuric oxycyanide and 3 2 per cent of potassium nitrate. 

The mercuric oxycyanide is determined on 100 ml by the method given above for the salt, z.., adding 1 g of potassium iodide to 100 ml and titrating to methyl red with 0 02N hydrochloric acid, 1 ml = 0 002006 g... 

For the titration a number of satisfactory methods are available, (i) A potentiometric titration with silver nitrate, (ii) a comparative titration using mercuric oxycyanide, (iii) a titration with mercuric nitrate using diphenylcarbazone as indicator in an ethanolic titration medium, or an application of the Volhard procedure (see p. 290), have all proved satisfactory. The simplest and most reliable methods are the potentiometric and mercuric nitrate titrations. 

Mercuric oxycyanide solution Dissolve, without the aid of heat, 20 g of mercuric oxycyanide in 1 litre of previously boiled and cooled water. Store in a brown-glass bottle. 

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