Acrylonitrile
A vinyl group and a nitrile on a three-carbon chain. It gives ABS its toughness, acrylic fibre its bulk, nitrile rubber its oil resistance — and it is metabolised in the body to cyanide.
Molecular Structure
What is Acrylonitrile?
Acrylonitrile carries two functional groups that both earn their keep. The vinyl double bond polymerises and copolymerises readily under free radical conditions. The nitrile group is strongly polar, which is what puts the properties into the polymer — chemical resistance and rigidity in ABS, oil resistance in nitrile rubber, and the dense chain packing that makes polyacrylonitrile the precursor to nearly all carbon fibre.
Production is by the SOHIO ammoxidation process: propylene, ammonia and air passed over a multi-metal oxide catalyst in a fluidised bed. Two co-products come with it and both matter commercially. Hydrogen cyanide, at roughly a tenth the volume, feeds methyl methacrylate and sodium cyanide production. Acetonitrile, at a few percent, is recovered as a solvent for pharmaceutical chromatography.
The downstream split is wide for a monomer of this size. ABS and SAN resins take the largest share, followed by acrylic fibre, acrylamide for water-treatment flocculants, nitrile rubber, and adiponitrile, which is hydrogenated to hexamethylenediamine and reacted with adipic acid to make Nylon 66.
Acrylonitrile is metabolised in the body to release cyanide, so acute poisoning presents as cyanide poisoning and is treated accordingly. First aid arrangements, antidote availability and medical response should be established with an occupational physician before the material arrives, not worked out during an incident.
Quick Reference
Key Physical & Chemical Properties
Structure & Bonding
A vinyl group conjugated with a nitrile. The double bond polymerises; the nitrile is strongly polar and pulls electron density from the double bond, which both activates it towards polymerisation and gives the resulting polymer its rigidity, chemical resistance and thermal stability.
Skeletal structure — vinyl group conjugated with a nitrile
Structural Identity
- IUPAC NameProp-2-enenitrile
- Common namesAcrylonitrile, ACN, VCN
- Molecular FormulaC₃H₃N
- Molecular Weight53.06 g/mol
- Functional groupsVinyl double bond, nitrile
- InhibitorMEHQ — requires dissolved oxygen
- Metabolised toCyanide, via cyanoethylene oxide
- Made fromPropylene ammoxidation, SOHIO process
- Co-productsHydrogen cyanide and acetonitrile
- CAS Number107-13-1
- InChI KeyNLHHRLWOUZZQLW-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Product Specifications
Chelora supplies Acrylonitrile in standard and custom grades. Contact us for specification sheets tailored to your process.
| Chemical name | Acrylonitrile |
|---|---|
| CAS Number | 107-13-1 |
| Molecular formula | C₃H₃N |
| Molecular weight | 53.06 g/mol |
| Purity (min) | ≥ 99.50 wt% |
| MEHQ inhibitor | 35 – 45 ppm wt |
| Acetonitrile (max) | ≤ 300 ppm wt |
| Acetone (max) | ≤ 75 ppm wt |
| Acetaldehyde (max) | ≤ 20 ppm wt |
| Total aldehydes as acetaldehyde (max) | ≤ 50 ppm wt |
| Hydrogen cyanide (max) | ≤ 5.0 ppm wt |
| Peroxides as H₂O₂ (max) | ≤ 0.20 ppm wt |
| Water | 0.25 – 0.45 wt% |
| Iron (max) | ≤ 0.10 ppm wt |
| Colour (max) | ≤ 5 Pt-Co (Hazen) |
| Non-volatile residue (max) | ≤ 100 ppm wt |
| Acidity as acetic acid (max) | ≤ 20 ppm wt |
| pH of aqueous extract | 6.0 – 7.5 |
| Flash point | 0 °C (closed cup) |
| Autoignition temperature | 481 °C |
| Flammable limits | 3.0 – 17.0% v/v in air |
| Transport classification | UN 1093, Class 3 with 6.1 subsidiary, PG I, stabilized |
Downstream Applications & Derivatives
Key derivative chains and industrial uses of Acrylonitrile.
ABS & SAN Resins
Copolymerised with butadiene and styrene for ABS, or styrene alone for SAN. The nitrile contributes chemical resistance and rigidity; the largest single outlet, feeding automotive, appliance and electronics housings.
Acrylic Fibre
Polyacrylonitrile and its copolymers for knitwear, blankets, outdoor fabric and industrial felt, where wool-like bulk and excellent light stability are the selling points.
Carbon Fibre Precursor
Nearly all commercial carbon fibre is made by oxidising and carbonising polyacrylonitrile. The nitrile groups cyclise into the ladder structure that survives carbonisation — no other precursor comes close on yield and properties.
Nitrile Rubber
Copolymerised with butadiene to NBR and HNBR, the standard elastomers for fuel hose, oil seals, O-rings, gaskets and disposable gloves where hydrocarbon resistance is essential.
Acrylamide & Flocculants
Hydration to acrylamide and polymerisation to polyacrylamide — the dominant flocculant in municipal and industrial water treatment, mining, and enhanced oil recovery.
Adiponitrile & Nylon 66
Electrohydrodimerisation to adiponitrile, hydrogenated to hexamethylenediamine, which reacts with adipic acid to give Nylon 66 — one of two competing routes to the diamine.
Why source Acrylonitrile through Chelora Petrochem?
Verified Origin
Full origin certification and asset-backed supply chain documentation — no grey-market supply, which matters particularly for a PG I toxic material.
Grade Flexibility
Fibre, resin and carbon-fibre precursor grades supplied. We certify MEHQ inhibitor as measured, plus peroxides, aldehydes and iron, since those are what govern polymerisation consistency and storage safety.
Full Documentation
CoA, SDS, UN 1093 dangerous goods documentation, REACH compliance, carcinogen communication obligations, and destination-market certificates with every shipment.
Logistics Support
Experienced in inhibited toxic flammable monomer logistics — dedicated ISO tanks and road tankers with closed transfer, vapour control and leak detection, plus drums, for Indian and international delivery.
Storage & Handling Guidelines
Always refer to the full SDS before handling. The following is a summary of key requirements.
- Establish medical response before the material arrives. Acrylonitrile releases cyanide on metabolism, so first aid, antidote availability and hospital notification should be agreed with an occupational physician in advance rather than improvised.
- Maintain oxygen in the vapour space. The MEHQ inhibitor requires dissolved oxygen to function, so acrylonitrile is stored under air or under nitrogen with controlled oxygen content — a pure nitrogen blanket disables the protection, as it does with vinyl acetate.
- Store cool, below 25 °C where practical, and out of direct sunlight. Polymerisation rate and inhibitor consumption both rise sharply with temperature.
- Monitor inhibitor level, peroxide level and storage temperature on a defined schedule. Rising peroxides are the specific early warning for acrylonitrile, since peroxides are what initiate the polymerisation.
- Handle in closed systems with vapour control. Acrylonitrile is both a carcinogen and acutely toxic by inhalation and through the skin, and open handling is not appropriate at any scale.
- Protect the skin as seriously as the airway. Acrylonitrile is absorbed through intact skin in toxicologically significant quantity, so glove selection should be made against permeation data for this specific substance rather than by general chemical resistance.
- Exclude strong bases, strong acids, oxidisers, amines and copper. Alkali contact in particular can initiate violent polymerisation.
- Treat every transfer as a static ignition hazard — flash point 0 °C, flammable range 3.0% to 17.0% — and bond, earth and purge all connections.
- Provide safety showers, eyewash and atmospheric monitoring at all transfer and sampling points, and maintain the exposure records that carcinogen regulations require.
Hazard Summary
Classification: Carc. 1B (H350, may cause cancer), Acute Tox. 3 by oral, dermal and inhalation routes, Skin Irrit. 2, Eye Dam. 1, Skin Sens. 1, STOT SE 3, Flam. Liq. 2, and Aquatic Acute 1. It is assigned packing group I for transport, the most restrictive category. Few commodity monomers combine this many serious hazards.
Acute toxicity presents as cyanide poisoning: acrylonitrile is metabolised via cyanoethylene oxide, releasing cyanide. Symptoms of significant exposure resemble cyanide poisoning and the treatment is broadly the same, which is why antidote availability and pre-arranged medical response are part of the handling regime rather than an optional extra.
Skin absorption is a genuine route: unlike most flammable solvents, acrylonitrile passes through intact skin in quantities that matter toxicologically. Gloves must be chosen on permeation data for acrylonitrile specifically — many gloves that resist common solvents perform poorly against it — and contaminated clothing must be removed immediately.
Carcinogenicity: EU CLP classifies acrylonitrile as Carc. 1B. IARC has also evaluated it, and its group assignment has been revisited in recent years, so confirm the current position if you need it for a regulatory submission rather than relying on a figure from an older document.
Polymerisation: acrylonitrile polymerises exothermically once initiated, and peroxide formation from oxygen over-exposure, alkali contact or heat will all start it. Inhibitor management and peroxide monitoring are safety controls. Note the balance required: too little oxygen disables MEHQ, too much generates peroxides.
Flammability: flash point 0 °C with a flammable range of 3.0% to 17.0%. Vapour is heavier than air and ignitable at ordinary ambient temperatures across most of the year in most locations.
Environmental: very toxic to aquatic life. Contain all releases; do not discharge to drains, surface water or groundwater.
PPE minimum: closed handling with chemical goggles and face shield, gloves selected against acrylonitrile permeation data, chemical protective clothing, and supplied-air respiratory protection available for any breach or spill response.
Consult the full SDS, applicable national carcinogen regulations and the producer's handling guidance before any use, and confirm your medical response arrangements are in place first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technical and commercial questions about Acrylonitrile sourcing and specifications.
What is acrylonitrile used for?
The largest outlet is ABS and SAN resin, where it copolymerises with butadiene and styrene for automotive, appliance and electronics housings. Acrylic fibre for knitwear and outdoor fabric is next, and that same polyacrylonitrile is the precursor for nearly all commercial carbon fibre. Beyond those, acrylonitrile goes into nitrile rubber for fuel hose and seals, into acrylamide and polyacrylamide flocculants for water treatment, and into adiponitrile as one of the two routes to hexamethylenediamine for Nylon 66.
Why does acrylonitrile poisoning resemble cyanide poisoning?
Because it produces cyanide. Acrylonitrile is metabolised in the liver, primarily by CYP2E1, to 2-cyanoethylene oxide, and that intermediate releases cyanide ion. Cyanide blocks cellular respiration by inhibiting cytochrome c oxidase, so a significant acrylonitrile exposure produces the same clinical picture as cyanide poisoning and responds to the same antidotes. The practical consequence is that a site handling acrylonitrile needs cyanide-poisoning response arranged with an occupational physician and the local hospital in advance, because the onset can be rapid and treatment is time-critical.
Why must acrylonitrile be stored with oxygen present, and why is too much oxygen also a problem?
The MEHQ inhibitor, like the hydroquinone used in vinyl acetate, needs dissolved oxygen to scavenge radicals — under a pure nitrogen blanket it stops working and the monomer is effectively uninhibited. But acrylonitrile also forms peroxides on prolonged oxygen exposure, and peroxides are precisely what initiates the polymerisation the inhibitor exists to prevent. So the storage regime targets a controlled oxygen content rather than either extreme, and monitors both inhibitor and peroxide levels. It is a narrower window than most monomers require and it is worth confirming that whoever operates the tank understands why.
What is the SOHIO process and why does hydrogen cyanide matter?
SOHIO ammoxidation is the route essentially all acrylonitrile is made by: propylene, ammonia and air over a multi-metal oxide catalyst in a fluidised bed, in a single reaction step. It is elegant chemistry, but it produces two co-products in fixed proportion. Hydrogen cyanide comes off at roughly a tenth the volume of the acrylonitrile, and acetonitrile at a few percent. The hydrogen cyanide is not waste — it feeds methyl methacrylate via the acetone cyanohydrin route and sodium cyanide for mining. That means acrylonitrile production rates influence HCN availability, which in turn influences MMA economics, in the same structural way that phenol influences acetone.
What makes carbon-fibre-grade acrylonitrile different?
It is the same molecule to a tighter and differently weighted specification. Carbon fibre is made by spinning polyacrylonitrile into a precursor filament, oxidising it, and carbonising it at very high temperature, and anything that disrupts the ladder structure formed during oxidation shows up as a defect in the finished fibre. Metals — iron in particular — are catastrophic because they leave inclusions that survive carbonisation and become failure initiation points. Aldehydes and other chain transfer agents affect molecular weight distribution, which governs spinnability at the very fine filament diameters involved. So carbon fibre grade is bought on metals and on molecular-weight-relevant impurities rather than on assay.
What documentation does Chelora provide?
Every shipment includes a Certificate of Analysis covering purity, MEHQ inhibitor as measured, acetonitrile, acetone, acetaldehyde and total aldehydes, hydrogen cyanide, peroxides, water, iron, colour, non-volatile residue, acidity and pH of aqueous extract; a Safety Data Sheet to GHS and REACH format; UN 1093 Class 3 with 6.1 subsidiary risk dangerous goods documentation at packing group I, declared as stabilized; carcinogen communication and downstream user information; an origin certificate; and destination-market certificates including any import licensing required for toxic goods.
Request a quote or specification sheet
Talk to Chelora's sourcing team about Acrylonitrile grade, volume, logistics, documentation, and lead times. We respond within one business day.
