This colorless liquid is isomeric and isoelectronic to methyl cyanide (acetonitrile), but its reactivity is very different.

In contrast to the faintly sweet, ethereal odor of acetonitrile, the smell of methyl isocyanide, like that of other simple volatile isocyanides, is distinctly penetrating and vile.

[3][4] The common method for preparing methyl isocyanides is the dehydration of N-methylformamide.

[9] A sample exploded when heated in a sealed ampoule, and during redistillation at 59 °C and 1 bar, a drop of liquid fell back into the dry boiler flask and exploded violently.

The explosive decomposition of methyl isocyanide has been studied in detail.