Acetonitrile

What Is Acetonitrile?

Acetonitrile is the simplest organic nitrile. This colorless and polar aprotic solvent is used for organic synthesis and purifications, and to extract fatty acids from oils.

Acetonitrile was first prepared in 1847 by Jean-Baptiste Dumas. In the laboratory, it is commonly used as a medium-polarity solvent. It is miscible with water and some organic solvents, but not with saturated hydrocarbons.

It is popular in cyclic voltammetry, and its ultraviolet transparency, low viscosity, and low chemical reactivity are useful for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Because it dissolves a range of ionic and nonpolar compounds, acetonitrile serves as a mobile phase solvent in HPLC and LC–MS. It is also the main solvent used to make DNA oligonucleotides from monomers.

Acetonitrile is modestly toxic in small doses. Cases of acetonitrile/cyanide poisoning are rare but can occur by inhalation, ingestion, or skin exposure. Symptoms, which may not appear for several hours after exposure, include respiratory issues, slow pulse rate, nausea, and vomiting. Convulsions and coma can occur and death from respiratory failure may follow.

Synonyms: Methyl cyanide, ethanenitrile (IUPAC name), cyanomethane, ethyl nitrile, methane carbonitrile, MeCN

View All Acetonitrile Products

Physical and Chemical Properties

Property	Value
Property	Molecular Weight	Value 41.05 g/mol
Property	Molar Mass	Value 41.053 g/mol
Property	Density	Value 0.786 g/mL at 25ºC
Property	Boiling Point	Value 81 to 82ºC
Property	Melting Point	Value -48ºC
Property	Flash Point	Value 5.5ºC
Property	Viscosity	Value 0.369 cP at 25ºC
Property	Dielectric Constant	Value 36.64 at 20ºC
Property	Dipole Moment	Value 36.64 at 20ºC
Property	UV Cutoff	Value 190 nm
Property	Refractive Index	Value 1.344 at 20ºC
Property	Vapor Pressure	Value 72.8 mm Hg (20ºC)
Property	Water Solubility	Value 24.36 M
Property	Heat of Combustion	Value 31.03 x 10⁶ J/kg at 25ºC
Property	Heat of Vaporization	Value 72.7 x 10⁴ J/kg at 80ºC
Property	Dissociation Constants	Value pKa = -4.30 (conjugate acid)
Property	Surface Tension	Value 29.04 dyn/cm at 20ºC

Uses

Acetonitrile is used as a solvent for the production of pharmaceuticals and photographic film. It is also used to make perfumes, rubber products, pesticides, acrylic nail removers, and batteries.

Designations and Grades

Property	Value
Property	CAS Number	Value 75-05-8
Property	MDL Number	Value MFCD00001878
Property	RIDAD /UN Number	Value UN 1648 3/PG 2
Property	Beilstein Registry	Value 741857
Property	EG/EC Number	Value 2008352

Grades

ACS, ACS Reagent, Certified ACS

Anhydrous/Dry/Extra Dry

Biochemical

Electronic/Semiconductor

GC, Capillary GC

GC Gradient

GC/Pesticide Residue

Histological

HPLC Gradient

HPLC/UHPLC

Laboratory/Technical

LC-MS, Ultra LC-MS

Low Water

Mobile Phase

NF/USP

Purge and Trap

Sequencing

Spectrophotometry

Solvent Blends

Trace Metals

A New Way to Shop for Chemicals

Conduct your search by drawing your molecule or uploading its chemical structure.

Search Now

Chemical Safety at Your Fingertips

Locate a safety data sheet (SDS) for a particular chemical or catalog number.