Isopropylamine CAS 75-31-0

What is Isopropylamine?

Isopropylamine is the branched primary amine of the propyl series — an amino group on the middle carbon of a three-carbon chain, (CH₃)₂CHNH₂. It is the secondary-carbon counterpart of n-propylamine, with which it shares a molecular formula and a molecular weight and very little else commercially.

It is a clear, colourless, highly volatile liquid boiling at about 33 °C, with a sharp ammoniacal odour. The flash point sits near −37 °C and the boiling point is close enough to ambient that a warm drum develops meaningful pressure. Of all the common liquid amines this is among the most demanding to store safely, and it is one of relatively few shipped at Packing Group I.

It is miscible with water in all proportions and strongly basic, with a conjugate acid pK_a near 10.6. The branched carbon next to nitrogen gives it modest steric bulk, which slows some substitution reactions relative to the linear isomer and, in biologically active molecules, changes how the finished compound binds to its target.

Commercially, isopropylamine is one of the most important amines in agriculture. The dominant global herbicide is formulated as its isopropylamine salt, and the isopropylamino group also sits on major triazine herbicides. Beyond agriculture it is the source of the isopropylamino fragment that defines a whole generation of beta-blocker pharmaceuticals. Few amines of this size carry so much downstream value.

Why isopropylamine specifically

• Salt-forming base for glyphosate. The isopropylamine salt is the standard soluble form of the world's highest-volume herbicide, which makes this the single largest amine-salt application in agriculture.
• Installs the isopropylamino group. That fragment defines several major triazine herbicides and appears across beta-blocker pharmaceutical chemistry. The straight-chain isomer gives a different molecule entirely.
• Branched but still reactive. The secondary carbon adds steric bulk without blocking the nitrogen, so substitution on chlorotriazines and epoxide opening still run cleanly.
• Highly volatile. A 33 °C boiling point means unreacted amine strips off easily and can be recovered — convenient in process, demanding in storage.

How IPA is Manufactured

Isopropylamine is made by aminating isopropanol or by reductive amination of acetone. Both routes produce di- and tri-isopropylamine alongside the mono product, and the separation train determines final quality.

• Amination or reductive amination. Isopropanol and excess ammonia are passed over a supported metal or solid acid catalyst at elevated temperature and pressure with hydrogen present. The alternative and widely used route reductively aminates acetone with ammonia and hydrogen over a nickel or cobalt catalyst.
• Ratio control. A high ammonia-to-substrate ratio suppresses further alkylation and pushes the distribution toward the mono amine. Surplus di-isopropylamine is recycled or taken off as a co-product in its own right.
• Separation. The crude mixture is resolved by fractional distillation with ammonia recovery. The isopropylamine cut boils low and clear of the heavier amines, which makes it relatively straightforward to take to high purity.
• Drying and finishing. The mono cut is dried to specification and filled into pressure-capable drums, IBCs or tanks, with nitrogen blanketing where colour and water specification matter.

Typical Commercial Specification

Figures below are representative of standard commercial grade. Glyphosate-grade and pharmaceutical-grade material with tighter water, residual solvent and metals limits is available — send us the specification you work to and we will quote against it.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Reactivity in practice

Isopropylamine is bought both for what it becomes and for the salt it forms. Four reaction types cover nearly all of its use:

• Salt formation. As a strong base it neutralises carboxylic and phosphonic acids to give water-soluble salts. The isopropylammonium salt of glyphosate is the single largest example anywhere in the chemical industry.
• Substitution on chlorotriazines. Displaces chloride from cyanuric chloride derivatives to install the isopropylamino arm found on major triazine herbicides.
• Epoxide opening. Opens epoxide rings to give isopropylamino alcohols — the exact structural motif at the heart of beta-blocker pharmaceutical chemistry.
• Amidation and condensation. Reaction with acid chlorides, isocyanates and carbon disulphide gives amides, ureas and dithiocarbamates used in crop protection and rubber chemistry.

Isopropylamine vs n-Propylamine

n-Propylamine and isopropylamine share the formula C₃H₉N and a molecular weight of 59.11, and differ only in whether the amino group sits on the end of the propyl chain or on its middle carbon. That single difference changes boiling point, steric bulk and — far more importantly — which registered products the molecule can go into. They are not interchangeable.

Stated plainly: the branched isomer dominates the market, almost entirely because glyphosate is formulated as its isopropylamine salt and because the isopropylamino group appears on both triazine herbicides and beta-blocker pharmaceuticals. The straight-chain isomer is a smaller, more diverse market. Where a registered product specifies one isomer, the other is a different molecule requiring its own approval, not a cheaper equivalent.

Industries We Supply IPA To

The same molecule leaves our warehouse for very different factories. What changes between them is not the CAS number but the grade, the packing and the documentation each sector expects.

Where IPA is Used

Isopropylamine is dominated by agriculture but valuable well beyond it. These are the end uses our customers buy it for, roughly in order of volume.

In glyphosate formulation

This is the dominant global use. Glyphosate acid is poorly soluble in water and effectively unusable as a sprayable product; neutralising it with isopropylamine gives the isopropylammonium salt, which dissolves readily and is the basis of most commercial formulations. The chemistry is simple neutralisation, so assay and water content are what matter — the amine must deliver the expected number of moles of base per kilogram, and excess water dilutes the finished concentrate.

In triazine herbicide manufacture

Cyanuric chloride is substituted stepwise, and isopropylamine supplies the isopropylamino arm that defines several major selective herbicides. Where the plant also handles n-propylamine or ethylamine, isomer and cross-contamination control become genuine specifications, because the resulting analogues are different registered compounds rather than removable impurities.

In pharmaceutical synthesis

Opening an aryloxy epoxide with isopropylamine gives an isopropylamino propanol — the structural core shared by a large family of beta-adrenergic blocking agents. API producers run the tightest specifications in the market: residual acetone or isopropanol from the production route, secondary amine carry-over and metals all have to clear ICH limits, so standard technical grade is rarely acceptable without upgrading.

In coatings and inks

As a volatile base it neutralises acid-functional acrylic and alkyd resins to make them water-dispersible, then evaporates during film formation so it does not remain in the cured coating. Formulators choose it over less volatile amines precisely because it leaves — and specify low colour, because anything that stays behind will be visible.

Quality Control & Testing

Every lot is released against a batch-specific Certificate of Analysis. The methods behind the numbers are standard across the industry, and we are happy to share them or to work to your own in-house test protocol.

• Assay and amine distribution — gas chromatography, which resolves mono- and di-isopropylamine, separates the n-propyl isomer and quantifies residual ammonia, acetone and isopropanol in one run.
• Water content — Karl Fischer titration. Water dilutes a glyphosate concentrate and interferes with acid-chloride and epoxide chemistry alike.
• Base strength by titration — acid-base titration against standardised acid, the figure that actually governs a salt-formation charge calculation.
• Distillation range — a fast, revealing check. A broadened range usually signals amine or isomer carry-over before any instrument confirms it.
• Colour — APHA / Hazen against a standard, which matters directly in coatings and pharmaceutical routes.
• Metals and residue — iron and evaporation residue, since both catalyse discolouration and both are unacceptable in pharmaceutical service.

Common Process Problems & Likely Causes

When isopropylamine misbehaves in a plant, the cause is usually one of a short list of things. This table is the shortcut our technical desk works through before anyone opens a complaint file.

Packaging, Storage & Shipping

• Standard packing. 150 kg net in lined steel drums rated for the vapour pressure, with 1000 L IBCs for larger users.
• Bulk packing. Road tankers and ISO tank containers for glyphosate formulators and continuous plants.
• Inert blanketing. Nitrogen-blanketed at fill where the grade and end use call for it, to protect colour and water specification in storage.
• Storage. Cool, shaded, well-ventilated and bunded area away from heat, ignition sources, oxidisers and acids, with containers kept tightly closed.
• Materials of construction. Stainless steel, carbon steel or suitable lined vessels. Avoid copper, brass, bronze, aluminium and mercury, all of which are attacked by amines.
• Shelf life. Typically 12 months in unopened original packing under those conditions. Beyond that, re-test rather than assume.
• Temperature and pressure. With a boiling point near 33 °C the vapour pressure is substantial at summer ambient. Shaded or temperature-controlled storage is not a refinement here, and containers should be opened cool.
• Transport classification. UN 1221, Isopropylamine, Class 3 flammable liquid with subsidiary risk 8 corrosive, Packing Group I — the most stringent packing group, reflecting the very low boiling and flash points. Shipped with full dangerous-goods documentation.
• Container loading. Palletised and secured for FCL; LCL consolidation and tank arrangements available by volume.

Hazards & Safe Handling

Isopropylamine is extremely flammable and corrosive, ships at the most stringent packing group, and must be handled by trained personnel under a proper risk assessment. The classifications below are indicative — the current SDS supplied with your consignment is the governing document.

• Exposure control. Handle in a closed system or under local exhaust ventilation. The flash point is far below ambient and the boiling point is near it, so vapour generation is rapid and continuous.
• PPE. Chemical-resistant gloves, chemical goggles and face shield, chemical-resistant clothing, and respiratory protection suited to the task.
• Ignition control. Vapours are heavier than air, travel along the ground to a distant ignition source and flash back. Bonded, earthed and explosion-proof equipment, and no ignition sources in the zone.
• Pressure awareness. Containers develop pressure in warm conditions. Open cool, relieve pressure in a controlled way, and never apply heat to a sealed container.
• Incompatibilities. Strong oxidising agents, strong acids, acid chlorides, nitrites, mercury, and copper, brass, bronze and aluminium equipment.
• Spill response. Eliminate ignition sources and ventilate. Contain, absorb with inert non-combustible material and collect in a labelled closed container. Do not wash to drain.
• Fire. Extremely flammable. Use alcohol-resistant foam, dry chemical or carbon dioxide; cool exposed containers with water spray from a protected position. Decomposition releases nitrogen oxides — use self-contained breathing apparatus.
• First aid. Move to fresh air, remove contaminated clothing immediately, wash skin with plenty of water, flush eyes for at least 15 minutes, and seek medical attention with the SDS to hand.

Regulatory & Compliance Notes

Isopropylamine is a long-established industrial chemical and is listed on the major national chemical inventories. Because obligations differ by territory, volume and use, the notes below are orientation rather than legal advice — confirm your own position with your regulatory adviser before importing.

• Inventory status. Listed on the principal chemical inventories in the major importing regions. Ask us for the inventory confirmation relevant to your destination country.
• Agrochemical end use. Where the material feeds a registered pesticide active or formulation, the destination authority will generally require traceability on the intermediate. Keep the batch COA with your production records.
• Import registration. Several territories require the importer to hold a registration or notification before a consignment lands. Start that process early — it is the most common cause of delay at destination.
• Hazard communication. Supplied with an SDS compliant with the format applicable to your region, and labelled in line with the GHS classification for the product.
• Dangerous goods. UN 1221, Class 3 with subsidiary risk 8, Packing Group I. The stringent packing group restricts some transport options, particularly by air — plan the routing early.
• Workplace exposure. Occupational exposure limits apply in most jurisdictions. Set your controls against the limit in force where the material will be handled.

We Supply IPA Worldwide

Chelora Chemicals is a supplier and export partner, not a single-plant trader. We ship Isopropylamine from India to customers across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and North and South America, handling the export documentation, dangerous-goods paperwork and freight so the material arrives ready to use.

• Incoterms. EXW, FOB, CIF, CFR and DAP quoted to suit your purchasing terms and freight arrangements.
• Ports. Regular shipments through Nhava Sheva (JNPT) and Mundra, with other Indian ports arranged where it suits the routing.
• Documentation. Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, COA, SDS and dangerous-goods declaration issued as a complete set.
• Flexible volumes. A single drum for laboratory qualification, through LCL consolidations, up to repeat full loads on a supply contract.
• Supply continuity. Because we are independent of any one producer, a plant turnaround or a shipping disruption at one source does not have to become your stock-out.

Buying IPA from Chelora

We are an independent sourcing and supply partner. For isopropylamine that means matching the grade to the application — bulk technical for glyphosate salt formation, isomer-controlled material for triazine work, low-residual-solvent material for pharmaceutical use — rather than selling whatever happens to be in the tank.

• Documentation on every lot. Batch-specific COA, current SDS and TDS issued with the consignment, not weeks afterward.
• Samples before commitment. Trial quantities for process qualification ahead of a commercial order.
• Quantities. From a single 150 kg drum through to repeat tank loads on contract supply.
• Export experience. Packing Group I dangerous-goods documentation, packing and labelling handled for sea and road freight.
• Technical support. Direct access to people who know the chemistry, for questions on production route, isomer purity or pressure handling.
• Related intermediates. n-Propylamine, diisopropylamine, the butylamines and the wider aliphatic amine range from one supplier.

How ordering works

• Send the enquiry. Product, grade or specification, quantity, destination port and the Incoterm you buy on. If you have a spec sheet, attach it — it saves a round trip.
• We quote. Price, lead time, packing and a sample COA, normally within one working day.
• Sample and qualify. For first orders or critical applications, we send a trial quantity so your lab can sign off before you commit.
• Confirm the order. Proforma invoice issued; payment terms agreed against the volume and the relationship.
• Production and QC. Material allocated and released against a batch-specific COA, with a pre-shipment sample where the application calls for it.
• Ship and document. Packed, labelled and loaded with the full export and dangerous-goods document set, and tracked through to arrival.

Related Amines & Intermediates

Buyers of isopropylamine usually source several of these alongside it. Consolidating them on one order cuts freight cost and gives you a single point of contact for documentation.