Acetonitrile
- Methylcyanide
- Ethannitril
- Acetonitrile
- Essigsäurenitril
- Ethansäurenitril
- Cyanomethan
Colorless, flammable liquid with aromatic odor
Liquid
0.78 g · cm -3
-45 ° C
82 ° C
97 hPa ( 20 ° C)
Completely miscible with water
1.3442 ( 30 ° C)
Risk
20 ml · m- 3, 34 mg · m-3
- 2730-3800 mg · kg -1 ( LD50, rat, oral)
- 988 mg · kg -1 ( LD50, Rabbit, transdermal)
40.6 kJ / mol
Template: Infobox chemical / molecular formula search available
Acetonitrile is an organic solvent and belongs to the group of nitriles.
Production
Possibilities for the production are nucleophilic substitution reactions, for example, methyl bromide and sodium cyanide ( NaCN ).
Industrially falls acetonitrile during the production of acrylonitrile at relatively low amounts of by-product. Price and availability are therefore linked to the production of polyacrylonitrile.
Properties
In case of strong heating and in case of fire toxic gases such as hydrogen cyanide from acetonitrile and nitrogen oxides. Potentially explosive mixtures with air.
Acetonitrile attacks rubber and solves many polymers. In case of contact with sulfuric acid under heat can enter an explosive polymerization.
It forms with water an azeotropic mixture of 83.7 wt - % acetonitrile to 16.3 wt - % water and a boiling point of 76.5 ° C, 5.5 K below the boiling point of pure acetonitrile.
Use
Acetonitrile is a common solvent in the laboratory, in chemical analysis (eg HPLC) and in industrial chemistry, there mainly for the extraction of 1,3-butadiene. Acetonitrile is used as solvent for electrolyte salts in double layer capacitors.
Safety
Acetonitrile is irritating. It is harmful by inhalation, ingestion and skin contact. Acetonitrile is absorbed through the skin ( percutaneous) and acts in the body as a blood poison.
Acetonitrile at low dosage has only a low toxicity. It is metabolized to hydrogen cyanide, which is the cause of the observed symptoms. The symptoms usually occur on a time delay ( 2-12 hours), since it requires some time, until the body metabolizes the acetonitrile to cyanide.
Cases of poisoning by inhalation, oral ingestion, or skin absorption in humans are rare, but not unknown. The symptoms that occur until several hours after exposure, include breathing difficulties, low pulse, nausea and vomiting. In serious cases, convulsions and coma may occur, followed by death due to respiratory failure. The countermeasures are as in cyanide poisoning.