Synthesis of HCN Polymer from Thermal Decomposition of Formamide

Prolonged heating of formamide (HCONH₂) at 185°C or 220°C produces a black insoluble product. The FT-IR spectroscopy and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) suggest that the product has the chemical structure of a polymer of hydrocyanic acid: (HCN)_x. The pyrolysis of (HCN)_x prepared from formamide produces a large amount of gaseous HCN in a wide range of temperatures together with ammonia (NH₃) and isocyanic acid (H─N─C═O).

During the thermal decomposition of formamide to produce (HCN)_x, the volatile products evolved were monitored with gas phase infrared spectroscopy. At 185°C, the gaseous product released were CO₂, CO and NH₃ while at 220°C, also HCN was detected. In both cases, a white sublimate was collected in the upper part of the reaction vessel. It consists of ammonium carbamate and its hydrolysis products ammonium carbonate and hydrogen carbonate. It is therefore possible to synthesize the polymer of hydrocyanic acid (HCN)_x starting from formamide avoiding to handle the dangerous hydrocyanic acid.