Calorimetric Study for the Hydrolysis of Acetonitrile Catalyzed by Acids or Bases

The acid/base-acetonitrile (ACN) mixed system finds extensive application in numerous modern reaction processes. This study investigates the reactions of ACN with mixed aqueous solutions of different concentrations of sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, and potassium hydroxide. The results show that heat is generated to varying degrees, and it was found that as the concentration of the strong acid or strong base solutions increases, the amount of heat produced also increases. Particularly under high-concentration conditions, strong acids and bases can induce exothermic hydrolysis of ACN at ambient temperature. Proper use of ACN with mixed solutions of strong acids and strong bases can help prevent safety incidents and also provide insights for future research on the hydrolysis reactions of ACN as a solvent.