Acetonitrile
- Benchmark: Benchmark 2
- Assessed: 2016-07-27
- Expires: 2028-04-17
Used primarily in Industrial / Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, and Solvents & Cleaning applications, Acetonitrile is specifically used in catalyst, chemical intermediate, pharmaceutical, solvent, stabilizer, and starting material.
Acetonitrile is a highly polar nitrile compound that is a clear, colorless flammable liquid at standard temperature and pressure. It functions as a solvent, chemical intermediate, catalyst, starting material in organic synthesis, and stabilizer, and is used in pharmaceutical manufacturing and in fatty acid extraction/separation. It is prepared by the dehydration of acetamide with glacial acetic acid or by reacting acetic acid with ammonia in the presence of a dehydration catalyst (HSDB 2015).
Chemical Synonyms Cyanomethane; methyl cyanide; Ethanenitrile; Ethyl nitrile; Methanecarbonitrile; Methane, cyano-; Methylcyanide; Methylnitrile (PubChem 2023)
Key Functions: Industrial / Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Solvents & Cleaning