Acetonitrile's main purpose is as a solvent. As the solvent extraction butadiene, solvent of synthetic fiber and some special paint solvents. In the oil industry for the petroleum hydrocarbons from removed from the tar; Phenolic substances such as solvent. In the oil industry as a follower of the fatty acids in the vegetable oil extraction solvent in medicine, used for the generation of steroids drug recrystallization reaction medium. In pharmaceutical analysis can be used as the preparation of high performance liquid chromatography mobile phase in high dielectric constant need of polar solvents often used when acetonitrile and water forms of binary azeotropic mixture: including acetonitrile 84%, boiling point 76 °C.

Acetonitrile is medicine (vitamin B1), the intermediate of spices, is all three manufacturing diazoxide nitrogen synergistic agent of raw material. Also used as alcohol degeneration of the agent. In addition, still can be used for synthesis procedures; Acetic acid, and in the fabric dyed; Lighting industry also has many USES. In performance liquid chromatographic analysis in acetonitrile commonly used eluent.