Silicon isocyanide (SiNC) was detected in the circumstellar envelope of IRC +10216 by Guélin et al. and reported in 2004. The observations were made with the IRAM 30-m radio telescope on Pico Veleta in the Sierra Nevada range in the Andalusia region of Spain.

In addition to HNC, other isocyanides that have been observed in the interstellar or circumstellar media include MgNC, AlNC, HCCNC, and the tentative identification of CH₃NC. The detection of the SiCN isomer was reported in 2000.