Reactions with water

• The first few members of the homologous series of primary aliphatic amines are miscible with water
  • However as the hydrocarbon part of the molecule becomes longer, the solubility decreases
  • Phenylamine is only slightly soluble in water
• They dissolve in water as they are able to form hydrogen bonds with water molecules
• Amines also react slightly with water to form alkaline solutions

CH3NH2?+ H2O ??CH3NH3+?+ OH-

Reactions with acids

• Amines react with strong acids to form ionic ammonium salts

CH3NH2?(aq) + HCl (aq) → CH3NH3+Cl-?(aq)
Methylamine? ? ? ? ? ?methylammonium chloride

• Addition of NaOH to an ammonium salt will convert it back to the amine
• These ionic salts will be solid crystals, if the water is evaporated, because of the strong ionic interactions
• The ionic salts formed in this reaction means that the compounds are soluble in the acid
  • e.g. Phenylamine is not very soluble in water but phenylammonium chloride is soluble

Reactions with ethanoyl chloride

• This reaction type is addition-elimination reaction meaning two molecules join together, and then a small molecule is eliminated - in these examples, hydrogen chloride
  • You do not need to know the mechanism of these reactions
• The organic product contains a new functional group - amide - in which a carbonyl group is next to an NH group
• The equation for the reaction of butylamine with ethanoyl chloride is

CH3COCl + CH3CH2CH2CH2NH2?→ CH3CONHCH2CH2CH2CH3?+ HCl

Reaction with halogenoalkanes

• Again you do not need to know the mechanism for these reactions
• The electron-deficient carbon atom in the halogenoalkane and the electron-rich atom nitrogen atom in the amine causes these two species to react together
• The general formula for this reaction would be

R'NH2?+ R"X → R'NHR" + HX

• Where R' is the alkyl group in the amine and R" is the alkyl group in the halogenoalkane
• This reaction is an example of a substitution reaction
• The organic product is a secondary amine and the inorganic product is a hydrogen halide, often hydrogen chloride
• As an example, the equation for the reaction of butylamine and chloroethane is

CH3CH2CH2CH2NH2?+? CH3CH2Cl → CH3CH2CH2CH2NHCH2CH3?+ HCl

• The organic product contains an electron-rich nitrogen atom, so can also react with chloroethane

??CH3CH2CH2CH2NHCH2CH3?+? CH3CH2Cl →? CH3CH2CH2CH2N(CH2CH3)2?+ HCl

• The organic product of this reaction is a tertiary amine
• The organic product also contains an electron-rich nitrogen atom, so can also react with chloroethane

CH3CH2CH2CH2N(CH2CH3)2?+? CH3CH2Cl → CH3CH2CH2CH2N+(CH2CH3)3Cl-

• In this reaction HCl is not formed because this would require the loss of H from the nitrogen from the organic reactant, which the tertiary amine doesn't have
• The product is an ionic compound related to ammonium chloride except that all the hydrogens in the ammonium ion have been replaced by alkyl groups
  • This is known as a quaternary ammonium salt

Reactions with copper(II) ions

• Ammonia can act as a lone pair donor in its reactions with transition metal ions
• For example the overall equation for the reaction of ammonia with hexaaquacopper(II) ions is

[Cu(H2O)6]2+?+ 4NH3→ [Cu(NH3)4(H2O)2]2+?+ 4H2O

• Amines also have a lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen, so can take part in similar reactions
• The observations are the same as with ammonia?
  • A blue precipitate forms
  • With excess butylamine the precipitate dissolves to give a blue solution
• Formation of the pale blue precipitate

[Cu(H2O)6]2+?+ 2CH3CH2CH2CH2NH2?→ [Cu(H2O)4(OH)2] + 2CH3CH2CH2CH2NH3+

• Formation of the deep blue solution

[Cu(H2O)4(OH)2] + 4CH3CH2CH2CH2NH2?→ [Cu(CH3CH2CH2CH2NH2)4(H2O)2]2+?+ 2H2O +2OH-

Preparing Amines

• Primary amines can be prepared from different reactions including:
  • The reaction of halogenoalkanes with ammonia
  • The reduction of nitriles

Reaction of halogenoalkanes with ammonia

• This is a?nucleophilic substitution?reaction in which the nitrogen lone pair in ammonia acts as a?nucleophile?and?replaces?the halogen in the halogenoalkane
• When a halogenoalkane is reacted with?excess, hot ethanolic ammonia under pressure?a?primary amine?is formed

Formation of primary amine

Reduction of nitriles

• Nitriles contain a -CN functional group which can be?reduced?to an -NH2?group
• The nitrile vapour and?hydrogen gas?are passed over a?nickel catalyst?or?LiAlH4?in?dry ether?can be used to form a?primary amine

Nitriles can be reduced with LiAlH4?or H2?and Ni catalyst