Uses. Lead thiocyanate is used in explosives, specifically an ingredient in primers for small-arms cartridges, safety matches, and to reverse aniline black dyeing (Gideon). It can also be used as a precursor for preparing perovskite solar cells.
In the early 20th century, thiocyanate was used in the treatment of hypertension, but it is no longer used because of associated toxicity. Sodium nitroprusside, a metabolite of which is thiocyanate, is however still used for the treatment of a hypertensive emergency.
As discussed earlier, thiocyanate is formed from the binding of cyanide and thiosulfate. Thiocyanate is 100-fold less toxic than cyanide and is excreted by the kidney with an approximate elimination half-life of 2.7 days.