Not to be confused with methyl nitrate

Methyl nitrate

Methyl nitrate is the methyl ester of nitric acid and has the chemical formula CH3NO3.Methyl nitrate is toxic and a sensitive explosive. It causes headaches when fumes are inhaled...

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Nitromethane 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 chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound

Nitro compound

Nitro compounds are organic compounds that contain one or more nitro functional groups . They are often highly explosive, especially when the compound contains more than one nitro group and is impure. The nitro group is one of the most common explosophores used globally...

. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent. As an intermediate in organic synthesis

Organic synthesis

Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the construction of organic compounds via organic reactions. Organic molecules can often contain a higher level of complexity compared to purely inorganic compounds, so the synthesis of organic compounds has...

, it is used widely in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, explosives, fibers, and coatings.