acetonitrile

[ as-i-toh-nahy-tril, -treel, uh-see-toh- ]

nounChemistry.

a colorless, poisonous, water-soluble liquid, C2H3N, having an etherlike odor: used chiefly in organic synthesis and as a solvent.

Origin of acetonitrile

¹

First recorded in 1865–70; aceto- + nitrile

Also called methyl cyanide.

Words Nearby acetonitrile

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use acetonitrile in a sentence

These experiments with alcohol and acetonitrile are of interest in another connection.
Alcohol: A Dangerous and Unnecessary Medicine, How and Why | Martha M. Allen
After a little more than a month of this diet 0.2 milligram acetonitrile per gram body weight proved fatal.
Alcohol: A Dangerous and Unnecessary Medicine, How and Why | Martha M. Allen

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