On the exchange of cyanide with acetonitrile. A test of theoretical calculations

- The theoretically predicted formation of an adduct between cyanide and anhydrous acetonitrile was tested experimentally; no evidence for such a complex was found. The previously reported radioactivity loss in the reactions of cyanide - ¹⁴C in acetonitrile solutions was possibly due to protonation and loss of hydrogen cyanide, since no exchange between cyanide and acetonitrile was evidenced within the sensitivity limits of ¹³C labelling. Potassium cyanide and carbonate in the presence of 18-crown-6 ether catalyze the H/D exchange between acetonitrile and trideuteroacetonitrile.