Acetamide is an organic compound

Organic compound

An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...

 with the formula CH₃CONH₂. It is the simplest amide

Amide

In chemistry, an amide is an organic compound that contains the functional group consisting of a carbonyl group linked to a nitrogen atom . The term refers both to a class of compounds and a functional group within those compounds. The term amide also refers to deprotonated form of ammonia or an...

 derived from acetic acid

Acetic acid

Acetic acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3CO2H . It is a colourless liquid that when undiluted is also called glacial acetic acid. Acetic acid is the main component of vinegar , and has a distinctive sour taste and pungent smell...

. It finds some use as a plasticizer

Plasticizer

Plasticizers or dispersants are additives that increase the plasticity or fluidity of the material to which they are added; these include plastics, cement, concrete, wallboard, and clay. Although the same compounds are often used for both plastics and concretes the desired effects and results are...

 and as an industrial solvent. The related compound N,N-dimethylacetamide

Dimethylacetamide

Dimethylacetamide is the organic compound with the formula CH3CN2. This colorless, water miscible, high boiling liquid is commonly used as a polar solvent in organic chemistry. DMAc is miscible with most other solvents, although it is poorly soluble in aliphatic hydrocarbons.The chemical reactions...

 (DMA) is more widely used, but it is not prepared from acetamide.
Acetamide can be produced in the laboratory by dehydrating

Dehydration reaction

In chemistry and the biological sciences, a dehydration reaction is usually defined as a chemical reaction that involves the loss of water from the reacting molecule. Dehydration reactions are a subset of elimination reactions...

 ammonium acetate

Ammonium acetate

Ammonium acetate is a chemical compound with the formula CH3COONH4 . It is a white solid, which can be derived from the reaction of ammonia and acetic acid...

:

CH₃COONH₄ → CH₃C(O)NH₂ + H₂O

In industry, it is typically obtained by hydrolysis

Hydrolysis

Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction during which molecules of water are split into hydrogen cations and hydroxide anions in the process of a chemical mechanism. It is the type of reaction that is used to break down certain polymers, especially those made by condensation polymerization...

 of acetonitrile

Acetonitrile

Acetonitrile is the chemical compound with formula . This colourless liquid is the simplest organic nitrile. It is produced mainly as a byproduct of acrylonitrile manufacture...

, a byproduct of the production of acrylonitrile

Acrylonitrile

Acrylonitrile is the chemical compound with the formula C3H3N. This pungent-smelling colorless liquid often appears yellow due to impurities. It is an important monomer for the manufacture of useful plastics. In terms of its molecular structure, it consists of a vinyl group linked to a nitrile...

:

CH₃CN + H₂O → CH₃C(O)NH₂

Acetamide has been detected near the center of the Milky Way

Milky Way

The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...

 galaxy.