Alkanenitriles

Acetonitrile, often abbreviated MeCN (methyl cyanide), is the chemical compound with the formula and structure . This colourless liquid is the simplest organic nitrile (hydrogen cyanide is a simpler nitrile, but the cyanide anion is not classed as organic). It is produced mainly as a byproduct of acrylonitrile manufacture. It is used as a polar aprotic solvent in organic synthesis and in the purification of butadiene. The skeleton is linear with a short distance of .

Propionitrile, also known as ethyl cyanide and propanenitrile, is an organic compound with the formula CH3CH2CN. It is a simple aliphatic nitrile. The compound is a colourless, water-soluble liquid. It is used as a solvent and a precursor to other organic compounds.

Butyronitrile or butanenitrile or propyl cyanide, is a nitrile with the formula C3H7CN. This colorless liquid is miscible with most polar organic solvents.

Isobutyronitrile is a complex organic molecule that has recently been found in several meteorites arrived from space. The singularity of this chemical is due to the fact that it is the only one among the molecules arriving from the universe that has a branched, rather than straight, carbon backbone. The backbone is also larger than usual, in comparison with others.

Pivalonitrile is a nitrile with the semi-structural formula (CH3)3CCN, abbreviated t-BuCN. This aliphatic organic compound is a clear, colourless liquid that is used as a solvent and as a labile ligand in coordination chemistry. Pivalonitrile is isomeric with tert-butyl isocyanide but the two compounds do not exist in chemical equilibrium, unlike its silicon analog trimethylsilyl cyanide.

Pentanenitrile, valeronitrile or butyl cyanide is a nitrile with the formula C4H9CN. This can be written BuCN, with Bu representing an n-butyl (linear butyl group).