Freshly-distilled trichloroacetonitrile is a colorless liquid with a pungent odor that discolours rapidly yellowish to light brown. It is sensitive towards water, acids and bases.
The bond lengths are 146.0 pm (C–C), 116.5 pm (C≡N) and 176.3 pm (C–Cl). The bond angle is 110.0° (Cl–C–Cl).