OCTANENITRILE

clear colorless to light yellow liquid

Heptyl cyanide (Caprylonitrile) was used as a solvent to study the intermediates in the decomposition of aliphatic diazo-compounds.

Octanenitrile is a reagent often used in the preparation of amides by hydration using amorphous manganese oxide catalyst in the presence of reduced amounts of water.

The Journal of Organic Chemistry, 64, p. 3544, 1999 DOI: 10.1021/jo982317b
Tetrahedron Letters, 17, p. 255, 1976 DOI: 10.1016/S0040-4039(00)93701-8
Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 11, p. 296, 1963 DOI: 10.1248/cpb.11.296

Moderately toxic by ingestion.When heated to decomposition it emits toxic vapors ofNOx and CNí.

Wash the nitrile twice with half-volumes of conc HCl, then with saturated aqueous NaHCO3, dry over MgSO4, filter and distil it. [Beilstein 2 H 349, 2 I 148, 2 II 303, 2 III 798, 2 IV 993.]