New reactions of nickel and cobalt with iron-cyanogen compounds and a new method of determination of ferricyan

Abstract

Nickel ferrocyanide in presence of acids is oxidised by the oxygen of the air to nickel ferricyanide. Cobalt ferrocyanide is oxidised under the same conditions to a ultramarine blue substance with a slight grayish tinge. This substance is very similar to Prussian blue and to Turnbull's blue and could be called cobalt Prussian blue. This blue substance is also formed if mixtures of potassium ferrocyanide and potassium ferricyanide are precipitated with an excess of cobalt salt. This investigation led to the conclusion that the blue substance is probably not a mere mixture of cobalt ferrocyanide and cobalt ferricyanide. but the compound 6 Co 2[Fe(CN) 6]. Co 3[Fe(CN) 6] 2. A new method of the determination of ferricyan is described. Moreover, it was proved that some statements of former investigators on the reactions of nickel and cobalt with iron-cyanogen compounds are erroneous, and some iron-cyanogen compounds of nickel and cobalt described in the literature do not exist at all.