Isobutyronitrile
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| Names | |
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IUPAC name
2-Methylpropanenitrile
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| Other names
Isobutyronitrile; 2-Methylpropionitrile
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| Identifiers | |
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3D model (Jmol)
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| ChEBI | |
| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.001.043 |
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PubChem CID
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| Properties | |
| C4H7N | |
| Molar mass | 69.11 g·mol−1 |
| Appearance | Colorless liquid |
| Odor | Almond-like |
| Melting point | −72 °C (−98 °F; 201 K) |
| Boiling point | 103.9 °C (219.0 °F; 377.0 K) |
| Very soluble in organics | |
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Refractive index (nD)
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1.372 |
| 4.29 D | |
| Hazards | |
| Flash point | 47 °C (117 °F; 320 K) |
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Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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| Infobox references | |
Isopropyl cyanide is a complex organic molecule that has been recently 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 which is larger than usual, in comparison with others.
Both isopropyl cyanide and its straight-chain isomer, n-propyl cyanide, were detected by astronomers from Cornell University, the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and the University of Cologne by means of using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) — a set of radiotelescopes in Chile —. The chemical was found within an immense gas cloud in the star-forming region called Sagittarius B2. This interestellar space is located at about 300 light years away from the galactic center Sgr A*. and about 27,000 light years from Earth.
About 50 individual features for Isopropyl cyanide and 120 for normal propyl cyanide (n-propyl cyanide) were identified in the ALMA spectrum of the Sagittarius B2 region. The published astrochemical model indicates that both isomers are produced within or upon dust grain ice mantles through the addition of molecular radicals, albeit via differing reaction pathways.
Scientists have come to the conclusion that isopropyl cyanide could have been essential for the creation of primary life. The discovery of this particular cyanide suggests that the complex molecules needed for life may have their origins in interstellar space. Those molecules would have been rising during the process of early star formation and been transferred to our planet later.
According to Rob Garrod, this detection opens a new frontier in the field regarding the complexity of molecules that can be formed in interstellar space and that might ultimately find their way to the surfaces of planets. How widespread these complex organic molecules really are in our Galaxy is one of the questions raised by this new discovery.
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Wikipedia