Isocyanide

${\displaystyle \left[{\ce {R}}-{\overset {\oplus }{\ce {N}}}{\ce {#}}{\overset {\ominus }{\ce {C}}}{\ce {:\,<->R-{\ddot {N}}=C{:}}}\right]}$

General resonance structure of an isocyanide

An isocyanide (also called isonitrile or carbylamine) is an organic compound with the functional group –N⁺≡C⁻. It is the isomer of the related nitrile (–C≡N), hence the prefix is isocyano.^[1] The organic fragment is connected to the isocyanide group through the nitrogen atom, not via the carbon. They are used as building blocks for the synthesis of other compounds.^[2]