Chemical Properties
Clear colorless to yellow liquid
Uses
Dibromoacetonitrile is a carcinogenic nitrogenous disinfection byproduct. Dibromoacetonitrile in drinking water was linked to oral cavity cancer in rats and forestomach cancer in mice. In addition, Dibromoacetonitrile may cause oxidative damage in rat brain.
Definition
ChEBI: Dibromoacetonitrile is an aliphatic nitrile.
General Description
Clear amber oily liquid.
Air & Water Reactions
DIBROMOACETONITRILE may be sensitive to prolonged exposure to air and light. Slightly soluble in water.
Reactivity Profile
DIBROMOACETONITRILE is incompatible with strong acids, strong bases, strong oxidizing agents and strong reducing agents. . Nitriles 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.
Fire Hazard
Literature sources indicate that DIBROMOACETONITRILE is nonflammable.
Safety Profile
Poison by intravenous
route. Questionable carcinogen with
experimental carcinogenic data.
Experimental reproductive effects. Human
mutation data reported. See also NITRILES
and BROMIDES. When heated to
decomposition it emits very toxic fumes of
NO,, Br-, and CN-
