Oleylamine CAS 112-90-3

What is Oleylamine?

Oleylamine is octadecylamine with one double bond, and that single structural difference produces two commercially distinct products. The cis configuration at the ninth carbon puts a permanent kink in the chain, and a kinked chain cannot crystallise the way a straight one does. The result is a material that pours at ambient temperature where its saturated counterpart is a hard flake melting in the low fifties. For any process that cannot justify heated tanks, trace-heated lines and melt handling, that is the entire reason oleylamine is specified.

The same kink makes oleylamine unusually useful in nanomaterial synthesis, where it has become something close to a standard reagent. In the hot-injection and thermal decomposition routes to metal, oxide and chalcogenide nanocrystals, oleylamine does several jobs at once: it coordinates to the metal centre as a ligand, it acts as a solvent at the reaction temperature, it functions as a mild reducing agent for some systems, and it caps the growing particle surface to control size and prevent aggregation. The double bond matters here too — the bulky, kinked chains pack loosely enough on a curved nanoparticle surface to stabilise it without over-passivating, and the resulting particles disperse readily in non-polar solvents. For this work the amine distribution and the colour matter far more than they do in bulk industrial use, which is why high-purity grades exist as a separate product.

In more conventional industrial applications oleylamine does much the same work as other fatty amines, with liquid handling as the differentiator. It is used as a flotation collector where a C18 tail is wanted but a melt tank is not, as a corrosion inhibitor and lubricant additive, as an emulsifier and asphalt adhesion promoter via its salts, and as a feedstock for ethoxylated and quaternised surfactants. In organoclay work it gives a different and sometimes preferable rheology from the saturated chain, precisely because the chains pack less tightly in the gallery.

The unsaturation does carry one liability: oleylamine is more susceptible to oxidation than its saturated counterpart. Air exposure, particularly when warm, leads to colour development and eventually to peroxide formation and chain degradation. Nitrogen blanketing in storage is worthwhile for industrial use and effectively mandatory for high-purity nanomaterial grades, where a yellowed drum is not usable. Chelora ships high-purity material under nitrogen and reports colour and iodine value on every batch.

Why specifiers choose oleylamine over stearylamine

• Liquid at ambient No melt tank, no trace heating, no drum heaters. Pumpable in most climates, which is often the deciding factor.
• Nanomaterial-grade purity available Controlled amine distribution, low colour and nitrogen-blanketed packing for nanocrystal synthesis.
• Iodine value reported Confirms the unsaturation that defines the product, and tracks oxidative degradation in storage.
• High primary amine content Ligand behaviour and quaternisation efficiency both depend on the primary amine fraction.
• Low colour under nitrogen Unsaturated amines yellow on air exposure. Blanketed packing and reported colour are part of the specification.
• Loose chain packing An advantage in some organoclay and dispersant systems, where the saturated chain packs too tightly.

How Oleylamine is Manufactured

Oleylamine is made from oleic acid by the nitrile route. The critical difference from the saturated fatty amines is that the hydrogenation must reduce the nitrile group while leaving the chain's double bond intact — a selectivity problem that defines the process.

• Nitrile formation Oleic acid reacts with ammonia over a dehydration catalyst to give oleonitrile, losing two molecules of water. Conditions are controlled to limit isomerisation of the double bond.
• Nitrile purification Distillation under vacuum removes unreacted acid, amides and heavy by-products while avoiding the temperatures that would degrade the unsaturated chain.
• Selective hydrogenation The nitrile group is hydrogenated to the primary amine using a catalyst and conditions chosen to leave the C9 double bond untouched. This selectivity is the central technical challenge and it sets the final iodine value.
• Distillation Separates primary from secondary amine and removes light and heavy fractions, under vacuum to protect the unsaturation.
• Filling under nitrogen Filled into blanketed drums, IBCs or bulk containers. High-purity grades are handled and filled under nitrogen throughout.

Typical Commercial Specification

Typical technical-grade specification. High-purity nanomaterial grades are specified separately and more tightly. Verify against your current COA before relying on these figures.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Reactivity in practice

Oleylamine combines ordinary primary aliphatic amine reactivity with the chemistry of an isolated double bond, and its industrial behaviour draws on both — plus the coordination chemistry that makes it a nanoparticle ligand.

• Coordinates to metal centres The basis of its use in nanocrystal synthesis: it binds metal precursors, caps growing particle surfaces and controls size and dispersity.
• Acts as a mild reducing agent At elevated temperature it reduces some metal precursors, which is why certain nanoparticle syntheses need no separate reductant.
• Forms salts with acids Acetates and fatty acid salts give water-dispersible emulsifiers and asphalt adhesion promoters.
• Quaternises and ethoxylates Gives cationic and nonionic surfactants with a kinked C18 hydrophobe and different packing behaviour from the saturated chain.
• Oxidises at the double bond Air exposure, especially when warm, causes colour development, peroxide formation and eventually chain degradation. Nitrogen blanketing is the control.
• Attacks copper, brass and aluminium Use stainless or carbon steel, or lined equipment, throughout — and note that trace copper also catalyses oxidation of the double bond.

Oleylamine Compared With Other Fatty Amines

Fatty amines are chosen by chain length and by whether that chain is saturated or unsaturated, and those two variables decide almost everything that matters in practice: the physical form at ambient temperature, how the molecule packs at an interface, and whether the product needs heated handling. The amine group is the same in all of them. What changes is the tail, and the tail is what you are actually buying.

The pair worth understanding is octadecylamine and oleylamine. They have the same eighteen carbons and almost the same amine value, but the single cis double bond in oleylamine puts a kink in the chain that stops it crystallising, so one is a hard flake you have to melt and the other is a liquid you can pump at ambient. Where a process needs a C18 tail and cannot accommodate heated handling, that double bond is the entire reason oleylamine exists as a commercial product. Where crystallinity is what you want — a tight, ordered film on a steam line, or a well-packed organoclay gallery — the saturated chain is the better molecule.

Industries We Supply Oleylamine To

Oleylamine serves a mix of large-volume industrial users and a smaller but demanding research and electronic-materials market.

Where Oleylamine is Used

Oleylamine's applications split between a high-value nanomaterials market and conventional fatty amine uses where liquid handling is the deciding factor.

Why nanoparticle chemists reach for oleylamine

In hot-injection and thermal decomposition syntheses, oleylamine performs several roles simultaneously, which is why so many published procedures specify it by name. It coordinates to the metal precursor, keeping it soluble and moderating its reactivity. It serves as the reaction medium, being liquid and stable to around 300 °C. For some systems it reduces the precursor itself, removing the need for a separate reductant. And it caps the growing nanocrystal, where its kinked chain packs loosely enough on a curved surface to prevent aggregation without over-passivating the particle, giving products that redisperse cleanly in hexane or toluene. For this work, batch-to-batch consistency in amine distribution and colour affects nucleation and dispersity directly, so a high-purity nitrogen-blanketed grade is not an indulgence — it is the difference between a reproducible synthesis and an irreproducible one.

Oleylamine or stearylamine?

If your process can handle a melt tank and you want maximum chain ordering — a tight filming layer, a well-spaced organoclay gallery — stearylamine is the better molecule and usually the cheaper one. If heated handling is impractical, or if you actively want looser chain packing in a dispersant or rheology system, oleylamine is the answer. The amine values are nearly identical, so stoichiometry transfers almost directly between them; what changes is the physical handling, the oxidative stability and the packing behaviour. Where a formulation is being developed from scratch, it is worth evaluating both rather than assuming the saturated chain is the default.

Storage, oxidation and nitrogen blanketing

The double bond that makes oleylamine useful also makes it the least oxidatively stable of the common fatty amines. In air, and faster when warm, it yellows, develops peroxide and eventually loses unsaturation — which raises the melting point and degrades performance. The controls are straightforward: keep drums and tanks blanketed with nitrogen, store cool and out of direct light, minimise headspace, and avoid part-used drums standing open. Eliminate copper from the system entirely, since trace copper catalyses the oxidation. For high-purity grades we fill and ship under nitrogen and report both colour and iodine value, because a drum that has yellowed in storage is not recoverable for nanomaterial work even if it remains perfectly usable as a flotation collector.

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.

• Total amine value by titration The figure stoichiometry and dosing are calculated from. Reported as measured.
• Primary, secondary and tertiary amine split Determined separately, since ligand behaviour and quaternisation both depend on the primary fraction.
• Iodine value Confirms the unsaturation that defines the product and detects oxidative loss of it in storage.
• Peroxide value Reported for unsaturated grades, because peroxide development is the leading indicator of oxidative degradation.
• Colour by Gardner Critical for nanomaterial grades, where colour tracks the oxidative history that affects nucleation.
• Moisture by Karl Fischer Controlled at fill. Relevant to anhydrous nanoparticle synthesis and to derivative chemistry.
• Chain distribution by GC Confirms the oleyl chain and quantifies saturated and polyunsaturated carry-over from the feedstock.
• Retained samples under nitrogen Held against every batch so a synthesis or process problem can be traced to the material or ruled out.

Common Process Problems & Likely Causes

Problems with oleylamine almost always come back to oxidation, to iodine value drift, or to batch variability affecting a sensitive synthesis. The sequence below is how we work through them.

Packaging, Storage & Shipping

• 180 kg lined steel drums The standard industrial format, nitrogen-blanketed on request and as standard for high-purity grades.
• 900 kg IBCs For larger users, pumpable at ambient in most climates with no melting step.
• Isotanks Bulk delivery for continuous users, with nitrogen padding on the receiving tank recommended.
• Small packs for research use Nitrogen-filled bottles and small drums of high-purity grade for laboratory and pilot nanomaterial work.
• Storage. Cool, dry, well-ventilated and bunded, away from heat, ignition sources, oxidisers and acids, with containers kept tightly closed. Nitrogen blanketing is worthwhile where colour matters.
• Materials of construction. Stainless steel, carbon steel or suitably 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 — colour and amine value are the figures to check.

Hazards & Safe Handling

Oleylamine is corrosive to skin and eyes and very toxic to aquatic life. The controls below reflect normal industrial practice for a liquid fatty amine. Always work from the current Safety Data Sheet and your own site risk assessment.

• Corrosive or strongly irritant. Fatty amines cause skin and serious eye damage. Molten material compounds this with a burn risk. Impervious gloves, chemical goggles or a face shield, and sleeve protection are the minimum wherever open transfer or sampling happens.
• Hot material handling. Grades supplied molten or melted on site are handled well above ambient. Insulate lines and valves, use face protection at sampling points, and never open a sight glass or a sample valve on a hot line without the correct PPE.
• Aquatic toxicity. These products are very toxic to aquatic organisms with long-lasting effects. Bund storage, keep spills out of surface water and drains, and treat the environmental classification as the governing hazard for spill planning rather than an afterthought.
• Dust and aerosol. Flaked and prilled grades generate fine dust on handling that irritates eyes and the respiratory tract. Use local extraction at bag-slitting and charging points and avoid dry-sweeping spilled solid.
• Incompatibilities. Keep away from strong acids, strong oxidisers, and from copper, brass, bronze and aluminium, all of which amines attack. Acid contact is exothermic.
• Ventilation. General ventilation plus local extraction at open transfer points. Vapour pressure is low at ambient, but melting and hot transfer raise exposure potential considerably.
• Spill response. Contain, absorb with inert material and collect for licensed disposal. Do not flush to drain. Solidified spills can be scraped once cool, which is often easier than handling them warm.
• First aid. Flush eyes with running water for at least fifteen minutes and get medical attention. Wash skin with soap and water, removing contaminated clothing. For molten contact, cool with water and do not attempt to remove adhered material — seek medical attention immediately.

Regulatory & Compliance Notes

Oleylamine is an ordinary article of commerce with no use restrictions in normal industrial or research application. The notes below cover the practical regulatory points affecting an import.

• Inventory status. Fatty amines are listed on the principal chemical inventories in the major importing regions. Ask us for the inventory confirmation relevant to your destination country.
• 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.
• Environmental classification. The aquatic hazard classification carries through to transport documentation, marine pollutant marking and local effluent consent conditions. Confirm the position for your site before the first delivery.
• Hazard communication. Supplied with an SDS in the format applicable to your region and labelled in line with the GHS classification for the product.

We Supply Oleylamine Worldwide

Chelora Chemicals is a supplier and export partner, not a single-plant trader. We ship Oleylamine 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 Oleylamine from Chelora

Oleylamine is bought for two quite different reasons — liquid handling, or nanomaterial performance — and the right grade depends on which.

• Tell us which market you are in Industrial flotation and additive use and nanomaterial synthesis need genuinely different grades. The high-purity material costs more and is worth it only where it matters.
• Specify the iodine value band It defines the product. If partial saturation would push the melting point up and spoil your handling advantage, write the band into the specification.
• Ask for nitrogen-blanketed packing Standard on high-purity grades and available on industrial drums. For an unsaturated amine this does more for shelf life than anything else.
• Buy in packs you will consume Part-used drums oxidise. Smaller packs often cost less overall than a large drum that yellows before it is finished.
• Batch documentation COA with amine value, primary amine split, iodine value, peroxide value, colour and moisture, plus SDS and TDS with every consignment.
• Samples and batch reservation For sensitive syntheses we can reserve material from a qualified batch, so a process developed on one lot is not disrupted by normal batch variation.

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

Other fatty amines and the amines we supply alongside them for surfactant, flotation and materials chemistry.