benzonitrile

English

Etymology

From benzo- +‎ nitrile. Discovered and named by by Hermann Fehling in 1844. This was the first compound to be named ending in "nitrile" which then became the suffix for other compounds with a similar group.

Noun

benzonitrile (plural benzonitriles)

1. (organic chemistry) The aromatic nitrile C₆H₅-CN; it is used as a solvent and has many industrial applications

Derived terms

• bromobenzonitrile

 

See also

• benzylnitrile