Hydroxyacetonitrile

An alcohol, C2H3NO, 57.052 g/mol. Boiling point 183 °C (slight decomp), melting point less than -72 °C, as published.

verified recordOrganic — alcohol8 measured properties

Identifiers

Molecular formula: C₂H₃NO
Molecular weight: 57.052 g/mol
Exact mass: 57.021464 g/mol
IUPAC name: 2-hydroxyacetonitrile
SMILES: N#CCO
InChI: InChI=1S/C2H3NO/c3-1-2-4/h4H,2H2
InChIKey: LTYRAPJYLUPLCI-UHFFFAOYSA-N

Open in ReactionLens Use in reaction prediction

Measured properties

Published measurements, each with its source. Two readings of one property are both shown, in the units each used.

Boiling Point: 361 °F at 760 mmHg with slight decomposition (EPA, 1998)measured · CAMEO Chemicals; 183 °C (slight decomp)measured · Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Melting Point: Less than -98 °F (EPA, 1998)measured · CAMEO Chemicals; less than -72 °Cmeasured · Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Density: 1.1 at 66 °F (NIOSH, 2024) - Denser than water; will sinkmeasured · CAMEO Chemicals; 1.10measured · Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Solubility: greater than or equal to 100 mg/mL at 68 °F (NTP, 1992)measured · CAMEO Chemicals; Very soluble in water, ethanol, and ethyl ether; insoluble in benzene.measured · Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Vapor Pressure: 1 mmHg at 145.4 °F (EPA, 1998)measured · CAMEO Chemicals; 0.2 [mmHg]measured · Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
LogP: -1.6measured · ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Flash Point: greater than 200 °F (NTP, 1992)measured · CAMEO Chemicals; Flash point > 200 °Fmeasured · Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
Refractive Index: Index of refraction: 1.4090 @ 25 °Cmeasured · Lewis, R.J., Sr (Ed.). Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary. 13th ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1997., p. 546; Index of refraction: 1.4117 @ 19 °Cmeasured · Lide, D.R. (ed.). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. 79th ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press Inc., 1998-1999., p. 3-10

Calculated properties

Derived from the structure, not from a sample; kept apart from the measurements above.

Molecular weight: 57.05 g/molcalculated · reference compound database; Average mass of one molecule, from reference compound database.
Exact mass: 57.021463719 Dacalculated · reference compound database; Mass of the most common isotopic form.
XLogP3: -0.7calculated · reference compound database; Estimated oil/water partition, computed by reference compound database.
Polar surface area: 44 Å²calculated · reference compound database; Polar surface area as computed by reference compound database.
Complexity: 41calculated · reference compound database; A rough measure of how intricate the structure is.
H-bond donors: 1calculated · reference compound database
H-bond acceptors: 2calculated · reference compound database
logP: -0.4977calculated · chemistry engine; Estimated preference for oil over water. Higher means more oil-like.
Topological polar surface area: 44.02 Å²calculated · chemistry engine; Surface area from polar atoms; relates to how easily a molecule crosses membranes.
H-bond donors: 1calculated · chemistry engine; Atoms that can donate a hydrogen bond.
H-bond acceptors: 2calculated · chemistry engine; Atoms that can accept a hydrogen bond.
Rotatable bonds: 0calculated · chemistry engine; Single bonds the molecule can freely twist around.
Molar refractivity: 12.6988 cm³/molcalculated · chemistry engine; Relates to the molecule's polarisability.
Fraction sp³ carbons: 0.5calculated · chemistry engine; Share of carbon atoms with tetrahedral bonding.
QED drug-likeness: 0.3808calculated · chemistry engine; Quantitative estimate of drug-likeness (0–1).

What it is made of

Elements

C Carbon2 atoms · 42.1% by mass
O Oxygen1 atom · 28.0% by mass
N Nitrogen1 atom · 24.6% by mass
H Hydrogen3 atoms · 5.3% by mass

Percentages are of the molecular weight above, worked out the same way the molar mass calculator does it.

Structure

Heavy atoms, hydrogen excluded: 4
Total atoms, hydrogen included: 7
Rings: 0
Aromatic rings: 0
Stereocentres: 0
Formal charge: 0

Functional groups

Alcohol
An –OH group on a saturated carbon.
Nitrile
A carbon–nitrogen triple bond.

Matched by structural pattern, not by a measurement.

The molecule in three dimensions

Rotate and inspect the atoms. Loaded only when you ask, so the page stays light.

The drawing above is a diagram of what is bonded to what. A molecule is not flat, and the model here is one low-energy shape generated from the connectivity — useful for seeing which groups can reach each other, and not a measured structure. A real sample is a population of conformations, interconverting.

Reactions it appears in

No documented reaction with a written procedure and a source involves Hydroxyacetonitrile yet.

Other names for it

The systematic name on this record is 2-hydroxyacetonitrile.

The sources also call it GLYCOLONITRILE, 2-Hydroxyacetonitrile, Cyanomethanol, Glycolic nitrile, Formaldehyde cyanohydrin, Glyconitrile, Glycollonitrile, 2-Hydroxyethanenitrile, Hydroxymethylnitrile, Hydroxyactonitrile, Acetonitrile, hydroxy-.

Structurally related

Nothing structurally close to Hydroxyacetonitrile has a page here yet.

Seen alongside it in reaction records

Molecules that appear in the same recorded reactions as Hydroxyacetonitrile. This says nothing about structure: most of them are the bases, solvents, ligands and catalysts the chemistry needed, and they are here because somebody put them in the same flask.

(2-Methoxyethyl)(methyl)amine

used as a reactant

C₄H₁₁NO, 89.138 g/mol.

1,1-Dimethoxyethane

used as a reactant

C₄H₁₀O₂, 90.122 g/mol.

(4-Methoxy-1-piperidinyl)acetonitrile

formed as a product

C₈H₁₄N₂O, 154.213 g/mol.

Where these values came from

reference compound database7857
compound record
chemistry engine
structure perception

compound record.

What this page does not claim

Identifiers are copied from the source record, measured values are reported as published, and calculated values are marked as calculated. Nothing here is a hazard, purity or handling assessment — how the library is checked.