Butyronitrile or butanenitrile or propyl cyanide, is a
nitrile
In organic chemistry, a nitrile is any organic compound that has a functional group. The prefix '' cyano-'' is used interchangeably with the term ''nitrile'' in industrial literature. Nitriles are found in many useful compounds, including me ...
with the formula C
3H
7CN. This colorless liquid is miscible with most polar organic solvents.
Uses
Butyronitrile is mainly used as a precursor to the poultry drug
amprolium.
[Peter Pollak, Gérard Romeder, Ferdinand Hagedorn, Heinz-Peter Gelbke "Nitriles" ''Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry'' 2002, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. ]
It also has recognized use in the synthesis of
Etifelmine
Etifelmine (INN; also known as gilutensin) is a stimulant drug. It was used for the treatment of hypotension (low blood pressure). Synthesis
The base catalyzed reaction between benzophenone 19-61-9(1) and butyronitrile 09-74-0(2) gives 2- ydr ...
.
Synthesis
Butyronitrile is prepared industrially by the
ammoxidation
In organic chemistry, ammoxidation is a process for the production of nitriles () using ammonia () and oxygen (). It is sometimes called the SOHIO process, acknowledging that ammoxidation was developed at Standard Oil of Ohio. The usual substrate ...
of
''n''-butanol:
:C
3H
7CH
2OH + NH
3 + O
2 → C
3H
7CN + 3 H
2O
Occurrence in space
Butyronitrile has been detected in the
Large Molecule Heimat.
References
External links
NIST Chemistry WebBook page for C4H7N
{{Molecules detected in outer space
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