It is a planar molecule that is structurally related to anthracene with one of the central CH groups replaced by nitrogen.

[7] Acridine is separated from coal tar by extracting with dilute sulfuric acid.

In the Bernthsen acridine synthesis, diphenylamine is condensed with carboxylic acids in the presence of zinc chloride.

With the higher larger carboxylic acids, the derivatives substituted at the meso carbon atom are generated.

Other older methods for the organic synthesis of acridines include condensing diphenylamine with chloroform in the presence of aluminium chloride, by passing the vapours of orthoaminodiphenylmethane over heated litharge, by heating salicylaldehyde with aniline and zinc chloride or by distilling acridone (9-position a carbonyl group) over zinc dust.

Acridine and related derivatives (such as amsacrine) bind to DNA and RNA due to their abilities to intercalate.

Acridine orange (3,6-dimethylaminoacridine) is a nucleic acid-selective metachromatic stain useful for cell cycle determination.

These substances condense to form tetraaminotriphenylmethane, which, on heating with acids, loses ammonia and yields 3,6-diamino-9,10-dihydrophenylacridine, from which benzoflavin is obtained by oxidation.

[8] Acridine is known to induce small insertions or deletions in nucleotide sequences, resulting in frameshift mutations.