4-Aminobenzonitrile

off-white or beige to orange-yellow crystalline

4-Aminobenzonitrile is used as an amino substituted benzonitrile with hypotensive activity and as a radioprotective agent. It is also used as a derivatization reagent in the capillary zone electrophoretic analysis of aldoses, ketoses and uronic acid. Further, it is used in the preparation of methacrylic monomers containing pendant azobenzene structures and polythiophenes containing an azobenzene moiety in the side-chain.

Mixing the nitrobenzene substituent with ammonia gas and a second gas, and reacting in the presence of a catalyst to obtain the p-aminobenzonitrile, wherein the second gas is air, oxygen or inert gas.

It crystallises from water, 5% aqueous EtOH or EtOH and is dried over P2O5 or dried in vacuo for 6hours at 40o. [Moore et al. J Am Chem Soc 108 2257 1986, Edidin et al. J Am Chem Soc 109 3945 1987, Beilstein 14 IV 1158.]