Question #bef79

1 Answer
Jun 8, 2017

Nitrile is reserved for organic compounds.

Explanation:

Cyanides are any species that contain the CN group (the cyano group). When this group is a functional group in an organic molecule it is referred to as "nitrile" (e.g. acetonitrile #CH_3-CN#).
However, many people also use the more trivial names "cyanomethane" or "methyl cyanide".

In inorganic compounds, the name used is "cyanide" e.g. KCN, "potassium cyanide".