Acetonitrile
![Methyl cyanide has been detected in the protoplanetary disc surrounding a young star.[12]](/Images/godic/202501/27/Artist_impression_of_the_protoplanetary_disc_surrounding_MWC_4800439.jpg")
Acetonitrile is the chemical compound with the formula CH
3CN. This colourless liquid is the simplest organic nitrile (hydrogen cyanide is a simpler nitrile, but the cyanide anion is not classed as organic). It is produced mainly as a byproduct of acrylonitrile manufacture. It is used as a polar aprotic solvent in organic synthesis and in the purification of butadiene.