carbonate and charcoal or graphite, he obtained cyanide. Addition of iron(II) sulphate gave hexacyanoferrate from which Scheele obtained Prussian blue.
2
Due to its length, the paper had to be split into two parts published in the
Transactions in 1782 [33] and 1783 [34]. The manuscript for the second part was
sent to Bergman on February 28, 1783, with the request that Bergman would
forward it to Wargentin and the Academy in Stockholm.
Scheele was completely unaware of the toxicity of hydrogen cyanide and gave
the following description: “This matter has a peculiar but not disagreeable smell, a
taste somewhat approaching to sweet, and warm in the mouth, at the same time
exciting cough” [35]. Scheele was quite lucky to survive his experiments!
References
1. Scheele CW (1771) Undersökning om Fluss-spat och dess syra KVA Handl 32:120–138
2. Lennartson A (2017) The chemical works of carl wilhelm scheele. Springer, Cham, p 22
3. Carelid G, Nordström J (1965) Torbern Bergman’s Foreign Correspondence, Almqvist &
Wiksell, Uppsala, p XXXV
4. Kopp H (1845) Geschichte der Chemie vol 3 Braunschweig, p 368
5. Marggraf, AS (1770) Observation concernant une volatilisation remarquable d’une partie de
l’espece de pierre, à laquelle on donne les noms de flosse, flüsse, flus-spaht, et aussi celui
d’hesperos; laquelle volatilisation a été effectuée au moyen des acides, Mémoires de
l’Académie royale des sciences et belles-lettres, 24:3–11
6. Priestley J (1775) Experiments and observations on different kinds of air, vol 2, J Johnson,
London p 187
7. Wallerius JG (1776) Tankar om verldenes, i synnerhet jordenes, danande och ändring,
Stockholm, p 51
8. von Engeström G (1782) Tal, om vissa svårigheter och andra omständigheter, som möta vid
utöfvandet af chymien, Stockholm p 3
9. Lennartson A (2017) The chemical works of carl wilhelm scheele. Springer, Cham, p 62
10. Scheele CW (1780) Anmärkningar om Fluss-Spat, KVA Nya Handl 1:18–26
11. Scheele CW (1782) Zweyter brief, Neues Magazin für Ärtze 4:292–295
12. Lennartson A (2017) The chemical works of carl wilhelm scheele. Springer, Cham, p 97
13. Scheele CW (1786) Neue Beweise der Eigentümlichkeit der Flussspatsäure Chem Ann 1:3–
17
14. Berzelius J (1824) Undersökning af flusspatssyran och dess märkvärdigaste föreningar 46–98
15. Weeks ME (1956) Discovery of the elements, easton, p 762
16. Moissan H (1886) Action d’un courant électrique sur l’acide fluorhydrique anhydre. Compt
Rend 102:1543–1544
17. Lennartson A (2017) The chemical works of carl wilhelm scheele. Springer, Cham, p 30
18. Scheele CW (1901) The chemical essays of Charles-William Scheele. Reissue of 1786
edition. Scott, Greenwood & Co, London, p 109
2
This synthesis of potassium cyanide is certainly not the first approach that comes to the mind of a
modern chemist, but it is easy to reproduce Scheele’s results. A powdered mixture of charcoal and
potassium carbonate is heated to near fusion. Ammonium chloride is added and the mixture stirred
until the sublimation of ammonium chloride ceases. The mixture is allowed to cool, extracted with
water and filtered. Addition of iron(II) sulphate solution to the colourless filtrate gives a precipitate
of iron carbonate. Addition of an acidic solution of iron(III) chloride dissolves the precipitate, and
if the green solution is left for a few minutes, Prussian blue precipitates.
210
14 New Mineral Acids
2
Due to its length, the paper had to be split into two parts published in the
Transactions in 1782 [33] and 1783 [34]. The manuscript for the second part was
sent to Bergman on February 28, 1783, with the request that Bergman would
forward it to Wargentin and the Academy in Stockholm.
Scheele was completely unaware of the toxicity of hydrogen cyanide and gave
the following description: “This matter has a peculiar but not disagreeable smell, a
taste somewhat approaching to sweet, and warm in the mouth, at the same time
exciting cough” [35]. Scheele was quite lucky to survive his experiments!
References
1. Scheele CW (1771) Undersökning om Fluss-spat och dess syra KVA Handl 32:120–138
2. Lennartson A (2017) The chemical works of carl wilhelm scheele. Springer, Cham, p 22
3. Carelid G, Nordström J (1965) Torbern Bergman’s Foreign Correspondence, Almqvist &
Wiksell, Uppsala, p XXXV
4. Kopp H (1845) Geschichte der Chemie vol 3 Braunschweig, p 368
5. Marggraf, AS (1770) Observation concernant une volatilisation remarquable d’une partie de
l’espece de pierre, à laquelle on donne les noms de flosse, flüsse, flus-spaht, et aussi celui
d’hesperos; laquelle volatilisation a été effectuée au moyen des acides, Mémoires de
l’Académie royale des sciences et belles-lettres, 24:3–11
6. Priestley J (1775) Experiments and observations on different kinds of air, vol 2, J Johnson,
London p 187
7. Wallerius JG (1776) Tankar om verldenes, i synnerhet jordenes, danande och ändring,
Stockholm, p 51
8. von Engeström G (1782) Tal, om vissa svårigheter och andra omständigheter, som möta vid
utöfvandet af chymien, Stockholm p 3
9. Lennartson A (2017) The chemical works of carl wilhelm scheele. Springer, Cham, p 62
10. Scheele CW (1780) Anmärkningar om Fluss-Spat, KVA Nya Handl 1:18–26
11. Scheele CW (1782) Zweyter brief, Neues Magazin für Ärtze 4:292–295
12. Lennartson A (2017) The chemical works of carl wilhelm scheele. Springer, Cham, p 97
13. Scheele CW (1786) Neue Beweise der Eigentümlichkeit der Flussspatsäure Chem Ann 1:3–
17
14. Berzelius J (1824) Undersökning af flusspatssyran och dess märkvärdigaste föreningar 46–98
15. Weeks ME (1956) Discovery of the elements, easton, p 762
16. Moissan H (1886) Action d’un courant électrique sur l’acide fluorhydrique anhydre. Compt
Rend 102:1543–1544
17. Lennartson A (2017) The chemical works of carl wilhelm scheele. Springer, Cham, p 30
18. Scheele CW (1901) The chemical essays of Charles-William Scheele. Reissue of 1786
edition. Scott, Greenwood & Co, London, p 109
2
This synthesis of potassium cyanide is certainly not the first approach that comes to the mind of a
modern chemist, but it is easy to reproduce Scheele’s results. A powdered mixture of charcoal and
potassium carbonate is heated to near fusion. Ammonium chloride is added and the mixture stirred
until the sublimation of ammonium chloride ceases. The mixture is allowed to cool, extracted with
water and filtered. Addition of iron(II) sulphate solution to the colourless filtrate gives a precipitate
of iron carbonate. Addition of an acidic solution of iron(III) chloride dissolves the precipitate, and
if the green solution is left for a few minutes, Prussian blue precipitates.
210
14 New Mineral Acids