Acidic hydrolysis of acetonitrile yields which acid?

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Multiple Choice

Acidic hydrolysis of acetonitrile yields which acid?

Nitrile hydrolysis in acidic solution converts the CN group into a carboxyl group while keeping the carbon skeleton intact. The carbon that was in the nitrile becomes the carbonyl carbon of the carboxylic acid, and water adds to form the acid; the nitrogen ends up as ammonium (NH4+) in acidic conditions. For acetonitrile, which has two carbons (a CH3 group attached to CN), this gives CH3COOH, i.e., acetic acid. The simplified stoichiometry is CH3CN + 2 H2O + H+ → CH3COOH + NH4+. Other acids would require different carbon counts: formic acid comes from a one-carbon nitrile, propanoic acid from a three-carbon nitrile, and benzoic acid from a benzonitrile, so acetic acid is the correct product here.

Nitrile hydrolysis in acidic solution converts the CN group into a carboxyl group while keeping the carbon skeleton intact. The carbon that was in the nitrile becomes the carbonyl carbon of the carboxylic acid, and water adds to form the acid; the nitrogen ends up as ammonium (NH4+) in acidic conditions. For acetonitrile, which has two carbons (a CH3 group attached to CN), this gives CH3COOH, i.e., acetic acid. The simplified stoichiometry is CH3CN + 2 H2O + H+ → CH3COOH + NH4+. Other acids would require different carbon counts: formic acid comes from a one-carbon nitrile, propanoic acid from a three-carbon nitrile, and benzoic acid from a benzonitrile, so acetic acid is the correct product here.

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