A commonly assigned patent of G. and S. Olive, U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,462, issued Dec. 18, 1979, describes a process in which acetonitrile is prepared by high temperature reaction of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and ammonia over a transition metal catalyst. Various catalysts and operating conditions are exemplified.
It happens that the described reaction is usually accompanied by a number of side reactions, with the significance of particular reactions depending upon the catalyst and other conditions.