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Propyl Cyanide

Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Synonyms

Butanenitrile; Butyronitrile; C3H7CN

Definition

The IUPAC name of this organic molecule is butanenitrile. Under standard laboratory conditions it is a colorless liquid that is miscible with most polar organic solvents.

History

Propyl cyanide is among the largest organic molecules unambiguously detected by radio astronomers in the interstellar medium (Belloche et al. 2009). These authors suggest that it may be produced by surface reactions on interstellar dust grains, perhaps by sequential addition of CH2 or CH3 radicals to known interstellar species such as CN and CH2CN. It is the third member of the series that includes methyl cyanide (CH3CN) and ethyl cyanide (CH3CH2CN).

See Also

Ethyl Cyanide

Interstellar Dust

Molecules in Space

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References and Further Reading

  • Belloche A, Garrod RT, Müller HSP, Menten KM, Comito C, Schilke P (2009) Increased complexity in interstellar chemistry: detection and chemical modeling of ethyl formate and n-propyl cyanide in Sagittarius B2(N). Astron Astrophys 499:215–232

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Lederle Graduate Research Tower B 619E, 710 North Pleasant Street, MA 01003-9305, Amherst, MA, USA

    William M. Irvine

Authors
  1. William M. Irvine
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Correspondence to William M. Irvine .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Irvine, W.M. (2014). Propyl Cyanide. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5102-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5102-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    CN)
    Published:
    22 January 2021

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5102-2

  2. Original

    Propyl Cyanide
    Published:
    05 May 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5102-1

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