What does vinylcyanide mean?
Vinyl cyanide, more systematically named prop-2-enenitrile and commonly known in industry as acrylonitrile, is a toxic organic compound with the formula CH2=CH–CN. It is normally encountered as a volatile, flammable liquid and is handled under strict industrial controls because exposure can harm the nervous system and other organs. Its principal importance lies in polymer chemistry: acrylonitrile units are used to make acrylic fibres, nitrile rubber, and certain specialty plastics and resins. The word therefore usually appears in technical, regulatory, occupational-safety, or chemical-supply contexts rather than everyday speech. Although vinyl cyanide can sound like a substance associated with vinyl records, the resemblance is purely verbal: it is a monomer and hazardous feedstock, not a recording material. In writing, acrylonitrile is generally the more familiar name, while vinyl cyanide functions as an alternative name that makes the compound’s ethenyl and cyano structure transparent.
nounVinyl cyanide is the common name for acrylonitrile, the organic compound CH2=CH–CN. It is a volatile, flammable, highly toxic liquid used chiefly as an industrial monomer in the manufacture of acrylic fibres, nitrile rubber, and other polymers.
- The chemical compound CH2=CH–CN, also called acrylonitrile or prop-2-enenitrile, used as a monomer in polymer production.
"Strict industrial safety procedures are essential because exposure to vinyl cyanide can cause serious harm."
"Industrial workers must follow strict protocols because exposure to vinyl cyanide can cause serious harm."
"Vinyl cyanide is an important monomer in the manufacture of acrylic fibres and nitrile rubber."
The plural is uncommon; vinyl cyanide is normally an uncountable noun when referring to the chemical substance.
"Safety documentation warns workers about the hazards of vinyl cyanides during industrial processing."
Despite sounding as though it belongs in a record collection, vinyl cyanide is a hazardous industrial monomer used to make acrylic fibres and nitrile rubber.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of vinylcyanide
The name combines two chemical terms. Vinyl was coined in French as vinyle from Latin vinum, meaning “wine,” because ethyl alcohol was originally called “vinyl alcohol”; in modern chemistry, “vinyl” denotes the ethenyl group, CH2=CH–. Cyanide was formed from cyanogen plus the suffix -ide, with cyanogen ultimately drawing on Greek kyanos, meaning “blue,” and -gen, meaning “producing,” in reference to the blue colour historically associated with cyanogen compounds.
How vinylcyanide is actually used
This is a specialized chemical noun, normally used in technical, industrial, regulatory, or occupational-safety contexts. It is usually treated as an uncountable substance and carries a strongly hazardous connotation because acrylonitrile is toxic.
Easily confused with vinylcyanide
Vinyl chloride is the chlorinated compound CH2=CHCl, whereas vinyl cyanide is the cyano compound CH2=CH–CN.