Malononitrile is an organic compound nitrile with the formula CH2(CN)2.

It is a colorless or white solid, although aged samples appear yellow or even brown.

[3] This method is mainly practiced in China where environmental rules are lax.

[5] This allows it to be used in the Knoevenagel condensation, for example in the preparation of CS gas: Despite its relative obscurity, Malononitrile is very useful in several reactions, the prime example being a suitable starting reagent for the Gewald reaction, where the nitrile condenses with a ketone or aldehyde in the presence of elemental sulfur and a base to produce a 2-aminothiophene.

[6] Due to its permanent dipole moment (i.e., 3.735 ± 0.017 D),[7] malononitrile was detected in spectral emissions coming from interstellar cloud TMC-1 through the QUIJOTE line survey conducted with the Yebes 40 m radio telescope.