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Names | |||
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IUPAC name Malononitrile [1] | |||
Preferred IUPAC name Propanedinitrile [1] | |||
Other names Malonodinitrile, Cyanoacetonitrile, Dicyanomethane, Malonic dinitrile [2] | |||
Identifiers | |||
3D model (JSmol) | |||
773697 | |||
ChEBI | |||
ChemSpider | |||
ECHA InfoCard | 100.003.368 | ||
EC Number |
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1303 | |||
MeSH | dicyanmethane | ||
PubChem CID | |||
RTECS number |
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UNII | |||
UN number | 2647 | ||
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |||
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Properties | |||
CH2(CN)2 | |||
Molar mass | 66.063 g·mol−1 | ||
Appearance | Colourless or white solid [2] | ||
Density | 1.049 g cm−3 | ||
Melting point | 32 °C; 89 °F; 305 K | ||
Boiling point | 220.1 °C; 428.1 °F; 493.2 K | ||
13% (20 °C) [2] [ clarification needed ] | |||
Thermochemistry | |||
Heat capacity (C) | 110.29 J K−1 mol−1 | ||
Std molar entropy (S⦵298) | 130.96 J K−1 mol−1 | ||
Std enthalpy of formation (ΔfH⦵298) | 187.7 to 188.1 kJ mol−1 | ||
Std enthalpy of combustion (ΔcH⦵298) | −1,654.0 to −1,654.4 kJ mol−1 | ||
Hazards | |||
GHS labelling: | |||
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Danger | |||
H301, H311, H331, H410 | |||
P261, P273, P280, P301+P310, P311 | |||
Flash point | 86 °C (187 °F; 359 K) | ||
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): | |||
LD50 (median dose) |
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NIOSH (US health exposure limits): | |||
PEL (Permissible) | none [2] | ||
REL (Recommended) | TWA 3 ppm (8 mg/m3) [2] | ||
IDLH (Immediate danger) | N.D. [2] | ||
Related compounds | |||
Related alkanenitriles | |||
Related compounds | Malonic acid | ||
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). |
Malononitrile is an organic compound nitrile with the formula CH2(CN)2. It is a colorless or white solid, although aged samples appear yellow or even brown. It is a widely used building block in organic synthesis.
It can be prepared by dehydration of cyanoacetamide. [3] This method is mainly practiced in China where environmental rules are lax.[ citation needed ] Most commonly malononitrile is produced by the gas-phase reaction of acetonitrile and cyanogen chloride: [4]
About 20,000,000 kg are produced annually (2007). Important outlets include the synthesis of thiamine, the drug triamterene and minoxidil, and the dyes disperse Yellow 90 and disperse Blue 354. [4]
Malononitrile is relatively acidic, with a pKa of 11 in water. [5] This allows it to be used in the Knoevenagel condensation, for example in the preparation of CS gas:
Despite its relative obscurity, Malononitrile is very useful in several reactions, the prime example being a suitable starting reagent for the Gewald reaction, where the nitrile condenses with a ketone or aldehyde in the presence of elemental sulfur and a base to produce a 2-aminothiophene. [6]
Due to its permanent dipole moment (i.e., 3.735 ± 0.017 D), [7] malononitrile was detected in spectral emissions coming from interstellar cloud TMC-1 through the QUIJOTE line survey conducted with the Yebes 40 m radio telescope. [8] [9]