Is sodium cyanide a strong base or strong acid? Is it a strong nucleophile or weak nucleophile?

Question

Same question with sodium methoxide. Please explain your answers. Thanks.

Answer 1

Sodium cyanide is the salt of weak acid and strong base and when it is dissolved in water it gives the basic media.

The ions Na+ and CN- second is the strong nucleophile.

While first is the weak electrophile.


Same is the case of sodium methoxide.

Answer 2

In water, the dissolved cyanide ion reacts with H+ to form undisassociated HCN. Generally, sodium salts of weak acids have a pH around 11-12, which is about 1-2 pH units less than a corresponding strong base of the same conc.