Acetonitrile
Synonyms: MOBILE PHASE ACETONITRILE;R5, ACETONITRILE;S4B, ACETONITRILE;SOLVENT B, ACETONITRILE;Acetonitril;acetonitril(german,dutch);CH3CN;Cyanomethan
CAS: 75-05-8
MF: C2H3N
MW: 41.05
EINECS: 200-835-2
Melting point ?48 °C(lit.)
Boiling point 81-82 °C(lit.)
density 0.982 g/mL at 20 °C
vapor density 1.41 (vs air)
vapor pressure 72.8 mm Hg ( 20 °C)
refractive index n20/D 1.344(lit.)
Fp 48 °F
storage temp. 2-8°C
form liquid
color <10(APHA)
Water Solubility miscible
Merck 14,70
Acetonitrile is the simplest organic nitrile, usually also called as nitrile methyl cyanide and methane. It is a colorless transparent liquid at room temperature. It is highly volatile, with special smell like ether, and flammable with flame burning brightly. It is mutually soluble in water, methanol, carbon tetrachloride, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, ethylene dichloride, and many other non-saturated hydrocarbon solvents. It is toxic and can be metabolized into hydrogen cyanide and thiocyanate. Acetonitrile is a good solvent with excellent performance and is an important organic intermediate. It is also widely used as a polar aprotic solvent. The biggest application of acetonitrile is as a solvent which can be used as the solvents for the synthesis of vitamin A, cortisone, carbon amine drugs and their intermediates solvent. It also used as an active medium solvent in the manufacture of vitamin B1 and amino acids. It can substitute chlorinated solvents as a vinyl coating, an extracting agent of fatty acid, a alcohol denaturant, the extracting agent of butadiene, and the solvent of acrylonitrile synthetic fibers. It also has a lot of applications in fabric dyeing, light industry, spice manufacturing, and photographic materials manufacturing.