It is used in organic synthesis and can be produced by pyrolysis of cyanuric fluoride or by fluorination of cyanogen.

[3][2] The cyanuric fluoride is pyrolyzed (becoming a pyrolysate) at a rate of 50g/hr, and appears as fluffy white solid collected in liquid nitrogen traps.

Cyanogen fluoride reacts with benzene in the presence of aluminum chloride to form benzonitrile in 20% conversion.

[6] FCN also adds to olefins which have internal double bonds in the presence of strong acid catalyst.

[3] Pure gaseous FCN at atmospheric pressure and room temperature does not ignite by a spark or hot wire.

FCN is useful in synthesis of important compounds such as dyes, fluorescent brighteners and photographic sensitizers.

[6] Beta-fluoronitriles, which are produced when FCN is reacted with olefins, are useful intermediates for preparing polymers, beta-fluorocarboxylic acids and other fluorine containing products.