A nitrile is an organic cyanide. Both cyanides and nitriles have the general formula RCN with a triple bond between the carbon and nitrogen (R-CN). The compound commonly called cyanide is actually hydrogen cyanide, HCN. When this compound is dissolved in water, an acidic solution of hydrogen cyanide, also known as prussic acid, is produced. Cyanides are the salts of hydrogen cyanide. All of the inorganic cyanides have inorganic groups such as a metal attached to the CN group. The nitriles have an organic group attached to the CN group. This gives rise to compounds such as methyl cyanide. The nitriles were formerly known as the alkyl cyanides.

The industrial preparation of most cyanides starts with the addition of potassium carbonate to carbon and ammonia gas (Beilby's process) to produce potassium cyanide. The potassium cyanide is then reacted with silver nitrate to give silver...