Potassium ferrocyanide trihyrate

pale yellow solid
Lemon yellow monoclinic columnar crystal or powder, sometimes with cubic metamorphosis. Soluble in water, insoluble in ethanol, ether, methyl acetate and liquid ammonia.
Potassium hexacyanoferrate(II) trihydrate, commonly known as potassium ferrocyanide, is a commonly used anticaking agent. Its cytotoxic and genotoxic effect has been evaluated. The growth of chemical garden in aqueous potassium hexacyanoferrate solution droplets on a superhydrophobic surface has been reported. The inhibition efficiency of potassium ferrocyanide in phosphoric acid solution against the corrosion of mild steel has been investigated.
The anhydrous salt is prepared by drying at 110o over P2O5 in a vacuum desiccator. To obtain the trihydrate, it is necessary to equilibrate the salt in a desiccator over a saturated aqueous solution of sucrose and NaCl. It can also be precipitated from a saturated solution at 0o by adding an equal volume of cold 95% EtOH, setting aside for several hours, then centrifuge and wash with cold 95% EtOH. It is finally sucked air dry with water-pump vacuum. The anhydrous salt is obtained by drying the hydrate in a platinum boat at 90o in a slow stream of N2 [Loftfield & Swift J Am Chem Soc 60 3083 1938].