Colorless and transparent liquid with slight ether-like odor, melting point : －45.7 ℃, boiling point: 81.6 ℃, relative density: 0.786(20/ 4 ℃), refractive index: 1.3441, flash point: 6 ℃, viscosity is 0.36 mPa?s at 20 ℃, critical temperature: 274.7 ℃, critical pressure: 4.8332 MPa. It is toxic, flammable. There is bright flame when burning. Solulble in water, methanol, methyl acetate, acetone, ethyl ether, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride and vinyl chloride. It can form azeotrope with water where acetonitrile contains 84 %., azeotrope point is 76 ℃.

The main purpose is used as solvent. Such as solvents of extracting butadiene, synthetic fibers and some special paint. Used in the oil industry to remove tar and phenol from petroleum hydrocarbons. It can be used as solvent of extracting fatty acid from animal and plant oil in the opportunity industry, reaction medium of recrystallization of steroidal medicine in medicine industry. The binary azeotrope of zcetonitrile and water always can be used as polar solvent of high K which contains acetonitrile 84%, azeotropiv temperature is 76℃. It also is the intermediates of medicine (vitamin B1) and spices, raw materials of triazine nitrogen fertilizer synergist, denaturant of alcohol. Besides, it can be used for synthesizing ethylamine and acetic acid, in textile dyeing industry and simply lighting industry.