Because it matters

Acetonitrile is an organic solvent that is widely used in organic synthesis and HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography). Because it is one of the few solvents that is practically UV-transparent (does not absorb UV light), it is an excellent solvent for liquid chromatography where the detection is done with UV absorbance.
A major manufacturer of acetonitrile was damaged when hurricane Ike hit Texas. Also apparently China shutdown their production for the 2008 Olympics. As a result, the price is more than doubled at the moment (see the VWR quote below). Read the rest of this entry »