Acetonitrile

1. Chemical Analysis and Instrumental Analysis，In recent years, acetonitrile has been used as an organic modifier and solvent for thin-layer chromatography, paper chromatography, spectroscopy, and polarographic analysis. Since high-purity acetonitrile does not absorb UV light in the 200 nm–400 nm range, an emerging application is as a solvent for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), enabling analytical sensitivity up to the 10⁻⁹ level.

2. Solvent for Hydrocarbon Extraction and Separation，Acetonitrile is a widely used solvent, mainly for extractive distillation to separate butadiene from C₄ hydrocarbons. It is also used for the separation of other hydrocarbons, such as propylene, isoprene, and methyl acetylene from hydrocarbon fractions.In addition, acetonitrile is applied in special separations, e.g., extracting fatty acids from vegetable oils and fish liver oils, resulting in lighter color, higher purity, and improved odor without changing vitamin content. It is also widely used as a solvent in pharmaceuticals, pesticides, textiles, and plastics.

3. Intermediate for Synthetic Pharmaceuticals and Pesticides，Acetonitrile serves as an intermediate for the synthesis of various pharmaceuticals and pesticides.In pharmaceuticals: used in the synthesis of key intermediates for vitamin B₁, metronidazole, ethambutol, triamterene, adenine, clofazimine, and other important drugs.In pesticides: used in the synthesis of pyrethroid insecticides, acetoxime, and other pesticide intermediates.

4. Semiconductor Cleaning Agent，Acetonitrile is a highly polar organic solvent with good solubility for oils, inorganic salts, organic compounds, and polymers. It can remove oils, waxes, fingerprints, etchants, and flux residues from silicon wafers. Therefore, high-purity acetonitrile is used as a semiconductor cleaning agent.

5. Other Applications，In addition to the above uses, acetonitrile can be used as a raw material for organic synthesis, a catalyst, or a component of transition metal complex catalysts. It is also used in textile dyeing and coating formulations, and acts as an effective stabilizer for chlorinated solvents.