Acetonitrile

Acetonitrile (CAS 75-05-8), also known commercially as ACN or methyl cyanide, is a high-purity polar aprotic solvent used across pharmaceutical manufacturing, analytical chemistry, and industrial synthesis. Its low viscosity and miscibility with water make it the dominant solvent choice in HPLC and LC-MS workflows globally. In pharmaceutical manufacturing, ACN serves as a reaction solvent and purification medium.

It is used for active pharmaceutical ingredients, particularly in peptide synthesis and chromatographic separation at scale. Life science and biotech laboratories rely on it as the primary mobile phase solvent. In reversed-phase HPLC, consistent purity directly impacts analytical reproducibility and regulatory compliance. Agrochemical producers use ACN as a solvent in the synthesis and formulation of pesticide intermediates.

Its solvating power supports high-yield reaction conditions. In printing and packaging, it functions as a solvent carrier in specialty ink and dye formulations requiring fast evaporation and clean substrate adhesion. Acetonitrile is supplied as a clear liquid in drums, IBCs, and bulk tanker quantities. HPLC-grade and LC-MS-grade are the most commercially demanded specifications for high-end laboratory use.

Technical-grade is available for industrial synthesis applications. Gradient-grade variants meeting stringent UV absorbance cutoffs are standard for analytical supply channels and quality control.