Glutaronitrile, C₅H₆N₂, was the subject of unsuccessful searches reported in 2020 by Cabezas et al. toward four different sources: TMC-1, Orion KL, Sgr B2(N), and B1-b (the last is one of four clumps in the dark nebula Barnard 1 in Perseus). A total of 111 rotational transitions were measured. Insufficient matches were found for glutaronitrile in IRAM 30 m surveys by Tercero et al., Belloche et al. Marcelino et al., and Cernicharo et al. toward the sources noted above.

Glutaronitrile or pentanedinitrile does not appear to have any direct uses, but derivatives such as methyldibromo glutaronitrile are used as preservatives in some skin care products. The origin of the name is obscure, but other compounds such as glutaric acid and glutaraldehyde share the X–(CH₂)₃–X structural motif, where X is a carbon-containing functional group (–CN, –COOH, and –CHO).