2-hydroxy-2-methylbutanenitrile Chemical Properties

Boiling point:

90°C/10mmHg

Density 

0.9303 g/cm3(Temp: 19 °C)

storage temp. 

Refrigerator

solubility 

soluble in Chloroform, Methanol

form 

Oil

pka

11.45±0.29(Predicted)

color 

Colourless

EPA Substance Registry System

Butanenitrile, 2-hydroxy-2-methyl- (4111-08-4)

Safety Information

TSCA 

TSCA listed

2-hydroxy-2-methylbutanenitrile Usage And Synthesis

Chemical Properties

Colourless Oil

Definition

ChEBI: A cyanohydrin in which the substituents on the alpha carbon are ethyl and methyl.

Synthesis

The primary method for synthesizing 2-hydroxy-2-methylbutanenitrile is the cyanohydrin reaction, which involves the nucleophilic addition of a cyanide anion to the carbonyl carbon of 2-butanone.
This reaction involves the addition of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) across the carbon-oxygen double bond of 2-butanone. Due to the extreme toxicity of HCN gas, it is commonly generated in situ by reacting a cyanide salt, such as sodium cyanide (NaCN) or potassium.