ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Nitrile anion

So imagine you have a cookie and you want to share it with your friends. But instead of breaking it into pieces, you decide to give the whole cookie to one friend.

Now, imagine you have a molecule that really wants to share its electrons with other molecules. This molecule is called a nitrile anion. The word "nitrile" means it has a nitrogen atom and a carbon atom connected by a triple bond.

The anion part means that it has gained an extra electron, making it negatively charged. This extra electron makes the nitrile anion want to share it with other molecules.

Just like you wanted to share your cookie with your friends, the nitrile anion wants to share its electron so it can become more stable. It can share its electron with other molecules, making them more stable as well.

Overall, the nitrile anion is a molecule with a nitrogen and carbon atom connected by a triple bond and has gained an extra electron. It wants to share this electron with other molecules so it can become more stable.