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nitrile

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EntityQ333936· pop 48· linked from 713 articles

Also known as nitriles

thumb|class=skin-invert-image|The structure of a nitrile: the functional group is highlighted blue

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CXSMILES
[*]C#N |$R$|
Commons category
Nitriles
SMARTS notation
[NX1]#[CX2]
canonical SMILES
[*]C#N
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Article

44 sections
Contents
  • Structure and basic properties
  • History
  • Nomenclature
  • Differentiation from related compounds
  • From organic halides and cyanide salts
  • Hydrocyanation
  • Dehydration of amides and others
  • Preparation from aldehydes and ketones
  • Oxidation of primary amines
  • Ammoxidation
  • Preparation of aromatic nitriles
  • Preparation of cyanohydrins
  • Preparation of acyl cyanides
  • Enantioselective synthesis of chiral nitriles
  • Other methods
  • Reactions
  • Hydrolysis
  • Reduction
  • Deprotonation
  • Nucleophiles
  • Miscellaneous methods and compounds
  • Complexation
  • Nitrile derivatives
  • Organic cyanamides
  • Nitrile oxides
  • Occurrence
  • Occurrence in plants
  • Nitriles from glucosinolates in cruciferous plants
  • Cyanohydrins and cyanogenic glycosides
  • Occurrence in animals
  • Occurrence in fungi
  • Occurrence in bacteria
  • Occurrence in space
  • Significance for the origin of life
  • Use
  • Use of hydrogen cyanide
  • Plastics production
  • Chemical-pharmaceutical industry and laboratories
  • Nitriles in medicine
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Other uses
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

thumb|class=skin-invert-image|The structure of a nitrile: the functional group is highlighted blue

In organic chemistry, a nitrile is any organic compound that has a functional group. The name of the compound is composed of a base, which includes the carbon of the , suffixed with "nitrile", so for example is called "propionitrile" (or propanenitrile). The prefix cyano- is used interchangeably with the term nitrile in industrial literature. Nitriles are found in many useful compounds, including methyl cyanoacrylate, used in super glue, and nitrile rubber, a nitrile-containing polymer used in latex-free laboratory and medical gloves. Nitrile rubber is also widely used as automotive and other seals since it is resistant to fuels and oils. Organic compounds containing multiple nitrile groups are known as cyanocarbons.

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