Why cyanide are not organometallic compound?

Answer 1

Basically CN- is considered as inorganic, is known as nitrile. As a basic requirement, organometallic compounds should have minimum one M-C bonds. The second rule is although the compound exist with M-C bond, the carbon should have attached with hydrogen or some organic compound. Thus although NaCN, Fe(CN)6, Co(CN)6 etc has metal-carbon bond, their properties are not similar to organometallic complexes, rather they behave like inorganic coordination type compounds. Further, according to the second rule, the cyanide carbon is not coordianted with any hydrogen/ hydrocarbons. Hence CNs are not falling under organometallic compounds

Answer 2

Even though NaCN has metal carbon bond, its still not an organometallic compound because the carbon atom in NaCN is not part of organic group but part of Inorganic "N". Hence, it doesn't satisfy basics of Organometallic chemistry which says C atom must be a constituent of organic group.