Trifluoroacetonitrile is a nitrile with the chemical formula CF₃CN.

Production

Trifluoroacetonitrile can be produced by

dehydration In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...

of trifluoroacetamide with

trifluoroacetic anhydride Trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA) is the acid anhydride of trifluoroacetic acid. It is the perfluorinated derivative of acetic anhydride. Preparation Trifluoroacetic anhydride was originally prepared by the dehydration of trifluoroacetic acid with ...

pyridine Pyridine is a basic heterocyclic organic compound with the chemical formula . It is structurally related to benzene, with one methine group replaced by a nitrogen atom. It is a highly flammable, weakly alkaline, water-miscible liquid with a ...

or carbon tetrachloride. This synthesis route was first described by

Frédéric Swarts Frédéric Swarts (2 September 1866 – 6 September 1940) was a Belgian chemist who prepared the first chlorofluorocarbon, CF2Cl2 (Freon-12) as well as several other related compounds. He was a professor in the civil engineering at the Universit ...

in 1922. Trifluoroacetonitrile can also be produced by reacting 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane and

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous wa ...

at 610 °C.

Properties

Trifluoroacetonitrile is a colourless gas that is insoluble in water. Solid trifluoroacetonitrile's crystal structure is orthorhombic.

Uses

Trifluoroacetonitrile can be used to prepare other chemicals such as 3-(trifluoromethyl)isoquinoline and 2,4-bis(trifluoromethyl)pyrimidine.{{citation, surname1=Klaus Burger, Ulrike Waßmuth, Friedrich Hein, Silvia Rottegger, periodical= Liebigs Annalen der Chemie, title=Trifluormethyl-substituierte Pyrimidine aus Enaminen und Trifluoracetonitril, volume=1984, issue=5, at=pp. 991–1002, date=1984, language=German, doi=10.1002/jlac.198419840517

References

Trifluoromethyl compounds Nitriles Organic compounds with 2 carbon atoms