1,4-Dicyanobenzene is an

organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon- hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. Th ...

with the formula C₆H₄(CN)₂. Two other isomers exist,

phthalonitrile Phthalonitrile is an organic compound with the formula C6H4(CN)2, which is an off-white crystal solid at room temperature. It is a derivative of benzene, containing two adjacent nitrile groups. The compound has low solubility in water but is sol ...

and

isophthalonitrile Isophthalonitrile is an organic compound with the formula C6H4(CN)2. Two other isomers exist, phthalonitrile and terephthalonitrile. All three isomers are produced commercially by ammoxidation of the corresponding xylene isomers. Isophthalonit ...

. All three isomers are produced commercially by

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 the corresponding

xylene In organic chemistry, xylene or xylol (; IUPAC name: dimethylbenzene) are any of three organic compounds with the formula . They are derived from the substitution of two hydrogen atoms with methyl groups in a benzene ring; which hydrogens are sub ...

isomers. 1,4-Dicyanobenzene is a colorless or white solid with low solubility in water. Hydrogenation of isophthalonitrile affords p-xylylenediamine. 1,4-dicyanobenzene is electrochemically active, forming a stable

persistent radical In chemistry, a radical, also known as a free radical, is an atom, molecule, or ion that has at least one unpaired valence electron. With some exceptions, these unpaired electrons make radicals highly chemically reactive. Many radicals spon ...

anodes An anode is an electrode of a polarized electrical device through which conventional current enters the device. This contrasts with a cathode, an electrode of the device through which conventional current leaves the device. A common mnemonic is ...

. For this reason, it has been used as a catalyst for

automated reaction discovery Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...

, testing whether other species are redox active.

Safety

The (rat, oral) is 6400 mg/kg.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dicyanobenzene, 1,4- Benzonitriles