Potassium ethyl xanthate Potassium ethyl xanthate Potassium ethyl xanthate (KEX) is an organosulfur compound with the chemical formula CHCHOCSK. It is a pale yellow powder that is used in the mining industry for the separation of ores. Unlike the related sodium ethyl xanthate, the potassium salt exists as an anhydrous salt. Xanthate salts are prepared by the action of alkoxides on carbon disulfide. The alkoxide is often generated in situ from potassium hydroxide: Potassium ethyl xanthate is a pale yellow powder that is stable at high pH but rapidly hydrolyses at pH <9 at 25 °C. Unlike the sodium derivative, potassium xanthate crystallizes
Ethyl cyanoacrylate Ethyl cyanoacrylate is prepared by the condensation of formaldehyde with ethyl cyanoacetate:<chem>CH2 (C#N) CO2 Et + CH2O -> CH2=C (C#N) CO2 Et + H2O</chem>This exothermic reaction affords the polymer, which is subsequently sintered, thermally "cracked" to give the monomer. Alternatively, it can be prepared by the ethoxycarbonylation of cyanoacetylene. Ethyl cyanoacrylate is used for gluing various materials. It is also used in medicine, for liquid bandages and for suture-less surgery, but it is used less often than the less toxic "n"-butyl and octyl cyanoacrylates. Off-the-shelf non-medical-grade glues are unsuitable for medical applications, as they may contain solvents (e.g. methyl alcohol)