Acrylonitrile

Ball-and-stick model of acrylonitrile. The white balls are hydrogen atoms, the black balls are carbon atoms, and the blue ball is a nitrogen atom. The double bond and triple bond are shown as multiple bars.

Acrylonitrile is a chemical compound with the chemical formula CH₃CHCN. It is a molecule of ethylene where one of the hydrogen atoms has been replaced with the nitrile functional group, −C≡N. Like many other substituted ethylenes, it is a monomer used in some kinds of plastic.

Uses

The main use of acrylonitrile is in acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, also called ABS plastic. This three-part polymer (terpolymer) is made from the three chemicals in its name: acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene.