Methylamine

• Aminomethane
• Monomethylamine
• R630

Colorless gas with ammoniacal odor

Gaseous

-93.5 ° C

-6.3 ° C

0.29 MPa ( 20 ° C)

10.6 ( pKb = 3.4)

Miscible with water

Risk

13 mg · m- 3, 10 ppm

-22.5 KJ / mol

Template: Infobox chemical / molecular formula search available

Methyl amine, the amine of methane. It is the most simple organic amine and contains a primary amino group. It comes as a 40% aqueous solution and as a pressure-liquefied gas in the trade.

Production and representation

The large scale production of methyl amine is carried out by the reaction of methanol and ammonia at 370-430 ° C and a pressure of 20 to 30 bar. The reaction is carried out in the gas phase on acidic heterogeneous catalysts based on silicon and aluminum oxides. Reaction products formed in addition to methylamine and water, dimethylamine ( CH3) 2NH and trimethylamine ( CH3) 3N:

Formation of by-products:

The purification and workup of the reaction mixture is carried out by multi-stage distillation under pressure.

Laboratory methylamine can be produced in small amounts by the reaction of formaldehyde with ammonium chloride, said first obtaining methyl ammonium chloride.

The colorless salt can thereafter by means of a strong base such as sodium hydroxide, will be converted to the methyl amine:

Properties

At room temperature, methylamine is a colorless, highly flammable gas with an intense odor. It can be liquefied by cooling or pressure increase. The vapor pressure function is given by Antoine corresponding log10 (P) = A- ( B / ( T C )) ( P in bar, T in K) with A = 4.51990, B = 1034.977 and C = -37 574 in the temperature range of 190 K to 267 K. methylamine is soluble in methanol and water. In water, methyl amine reacts as a base with acids and forms soluble salts. Methyl amine reacts with the I effect of the methyl group as a strong base ( pK b = 3.4 ).

Use

By reaction with alkylating agents, epoxides, carbonyl compounds, organic acids, etc., methylamine can be converted to many subsequent connections. Methyl amine is used in the synthesis of various products such as solvents, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and dyestuffs, such as N -methyl-2 -pyrrolidone (NMP ), N- methylformamide, caffeine, ephedrine, methamphetamine, and N, N'- dimethylurea.

Trivia

In the American television series Breaking Bad methylamine is often mentioned as a possible raw material for the manufacture of crystal meth.