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