Acetonitrile, an aliphatic nitrile, is widely used as an organic solvent and intermediate in organic syntheses. It is transparent to UV-visible light, which makes it highly applicable in spectrophotometric and fluorimetric techniques. MeCN is utilized as a mobile phase component in many chromatographic techniques, due to its low viscosity, high elution strength and miscibility in water. It also plays a major role as an extractant medium in liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction or microextraction.

Acetonitrile may be used as a solvent to prepare:

• 1,2-Azidoalcohols and 1,2-azidoamines via cerium(III) chloride assisted ring opening of epoxides and aziridines by sodium azide.
• Cyano-bearing indolinones by oxidative arylalkylation of olefins in the presence of palladium catalyst.

It may also be used as a reactant to synthesize:

• Bis (diphenylphosphino) acetonitrile by reacting with n-butyllithium and then with chlorodiphenylphosphine.
• β-Acetamido ketones via coupling reaction with ketones or ketoesters and aldehydes in the presence of cobalt(II) chloride.

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