1467-79-4

CLEAR COLORLESS TO YELLOWISH LIQUID

Clear liquid.

Reacts with water to form cyanide gas

Nitriles, such as DIMETHYLCYANAMIDE, may polymerize in the presence of metals and some metal compounds. They are incompatible with acids; mixing nitriles with strong oxidizing acids can lead to extremely violent reactions. Nitriles are generally incompatible with other oxidizing agents such as peroxides and epoxides. The combination of bases and nitriles can produce hydrogen cyanide. Nitriles are hydrolyzed in both aqueous acid and base to give carboxylic acids (or salts of carboxylic acids). These reactions generate heat. Peroxides convert nitriles to amides. Nitriles can react vigorously with reducing agents. Acetonitrile and propionitrile are soluble in water, but nitriles higher than propionitrile have low aqueous solubility. They are also insoluble in aqueous acids. DIMETHYLCYANAMIDE reacts with oxidizers, water, or steam.

ACUTE/CHRONIC HAZARDS: DIMETHYLCYANAMIDE is an irritant. It reacts with water to produce toxic and flammable vapors.

DIMETHYLCYANAMIDE is combustible.

Dimethylcyanamide in the presence of tetrachlorosilane and zinc chloride is used as a promoter for one-pot, three component synthesis of a novel series of 1,3-oxazines. Being a dialkylcyanamide, it has been proved to be a more reactive substrate toward metal-mediated nucleophilic addition than alkylcyanides.

Dimethyl cyanamide is made by the reaction of nitromethane with tris(dimethylamino) arsine.