Using the quarternary ammonium salts as phase transfer catalyst, the nucleophilic substitution reaction of 1-chlorooctane with sodium-cyanide was investigate kinetically with respect to the formation of octanenitrile. The product was analyzed with gas chromatograph, and quantity of octanenitrile was measured. The reaction condition was considered by the effect of the reaction temperature, of the species and the amount of catalyst, of the speed of strirring, and of the concentration of reactants. The reaction was carried out in the first order on the concentration of 1-chlorooctane and sodium cyanide, respectively. The over-all order was 2nd. The activation energies for the nucleophilic substitution reaction of 1-chlorooctane and 1-bromooctane under tetrabutylammonium hydrogen-sulfate were calculated as 2.05 and 10.08kcal/mol, respectively. The effect of various caltalysts was decreased in the order of tetrabutylammonium bromide, terabutylammonium, tetrabutylammonium hydrogensulfate, and tetrabutylammonium iodide. The reaction rate was dependent on the concentration of sodium-cyanide dissolved in the aqueous phase, and the good result was shown when the mol ratio between 1-chlorooctane and sodium cyanide was one per three.