Acrylamide (or acrylic amide) is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH2=CHC(O)NH2. It is a white odorless solid, soluble in waterand several organic solvents. It is produced industrially as a precursor to polyacrylamides, which find many uses as water-soluble thickeners and flocculation agents. It is highly toxic, and partly for that reason it is mainly handled as an aqueous solution. The discovery that some cooked foods contain acrylamide had attracted significant attention to its possible biological effects.