Posted by BobF on July 16, 1999 at 09:14:54:
In Reply to: Cyanide Warning: Mouthpiece Plating posted by Brett W. on July 15, 1999 at 22:26:16:
Unless you have specific information indicating that there are cyanogens on your mouthpiece, I think you should do more checking before chucking it. For one thing, which "government" agency shut them down? Either OSHA (workplace safety) or EPA (environmental safety) would have been more concerned with the composition of the plating baths than with residues in the product.
On the other hand, gold is one of the metals that complexes with CN, so something's possible. Other metal:CN complexes (e.g. ferri- or ferro-cyanide ions) are very soluble, but not volatile, and they decompose under (acid?) conditions. If they were there in the first place, washing could get rid of them, especially if a bit of vinegar was used.
HOWEVER, I'm an engineer, NOT a chemist. Do you know any inorganic chemists or chemistry teachers?