Final answer:
Hydrogen cyanide is indeed commercially produced using methane in processes such as the Andrussow process. Methane can react with ammonia and oxygen to yield hydrogen cyanide, and it also participates in steam methane reforming to produce syngas, which can be used to make HCN.
Step-by-step explanation:
Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) can be prepared commercially by various methods. One common industrial process involves the use of methane. Methane gas reacts with ammonia and oxygen over a platinum catalyst to produce hydrogen cyanide and water vapor, in the form of the Andrussow process. However, it is also possible to produce a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide by reacting methane with steam over a nickel catalyst in a process called steam methane reforming. The resulting synthesis gas (syngas) can then undergo further reactions to produce chemicals such as hydrogen cyanide. Therefore, the statement "Hydrogen cyanide is prepared commercially by the reaction of methane" is true.