Aminoethylethanolamine (AEEA) CAS 111-41-1

What is Aminoethylethanolamine (AEEA)?

Aminoethylethanolamine is a trifunctional molecule — a primary amine, a secondary amine and a primary hydroxyl, all on one short chain: H₂NCH₂CH₂NHCH₂CH₂OH. Structurally it sits between ethylenediamine and monoethanolamine, and it is produced as part of the ethyleneamine family.

Three different reactive groups in one small molecule is an unusual and useful thing. It means AEEA can be built into a structure at three points, or cyclised onto itself, and it is that last possibility — ring closure onto an imidazoline — that accounts for most of its commercial volume.

It is a clear, colourless to pale-yellow viscous liquid boiling at about 244 °C with a flash point near 127 °C, fully miscible with water and strongly hygroscopic. From a handling standpoint it is one of the easier amines: no pressure, no flammable headspace, ordinary drums and pumps.

Commercially, AEEA's largest outlet is imidazoline chemistry. Condensed with a fatty acid it closes to a 2-alkyl imidazoline, which is the backbone of a family of fabric softeners, amphoteric surfactants and oilfield corrosion inhibitors. Beyond that it is used to make the chelating agent HEEDTA, as an epoxy curing agent, and in fuel and lubricant additives.

Why aminoethylethanolamine specifically

• Three different reactive groups. A primary amine, a secondary amine and a primary hydroxyl on one molecule, each with different reactivity — which allows selective, staged chemistry.
• Closes to an imidazoline. Condensation with a fatty acid followed by ring closure gives 2-alkyl imidazolines directly, with the hydroxyethyl arm retained for further functionalisation.
• Built-in hydroxyl for chelant chemistry. The hydroxyethyl group is what distinguishes HEEDTA from EDTA, giving a chelant that stays soluble at high pH where EDTA salts precipitate.
• Comfortable handling. High boiling, high flash point, no pressure and no flammable headspace — unusual among reactive amines.

How AEEA is Manufactured

Aminoethylethanolamine is produced as part of the ethyleneamine family rather than on dedicated capacity, which ties its availability to that of ethylenediamine and its relatives.

• Ethyleneamine synthesis. Either monoethanolamine is aminated with ammonia and hydrogen over a supported metal catalyst, or ethylene dichloride is reacted with ammonia under pressure. Both routes produce a spectrum of linear and cyclic ethyleneamines and hydroxyethyl species.
• Where AEEA arises. AEEA is the product of one molecule of ethanolamine reacting with one ethyleneamine unit — formally the mono-hydroxyethyl relative of ethylenediamine. Its yield depends on catalyst, ratio and residence time.
• Separation. The mixture is resolved by vacuum distillation. AEEA is close-boiling to several other ethyleneamines, so the column train determines how cleanly it is cut.
• Finishing. The product is taken to specification and filled with nitrogen blanketing where colour matters — it darkens on air contact more readily than the simple alkanolamines.

Typical Commercial Specification

Figures below are representative of standard commercial grade. Surfactant and chelant grades with tighter colour and distribution limits are available — send us the specification you work to and we will quote against it.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Reactivity in practice

Three distinct reactive groups of different reactivity. That is the whole value proposition, and it supports four main chemistries:

• Imidazoline ring closure. Condensation with a fatty acid followed by dehydrative cyclisation gives a 2-alkyl imidazoline with the hydroxyethyl arm retained — the backbone of fabric softeners, amphoterics and oilfield inhibitors.
• Chelant synthesis. Carboxymethylation gives HEEDTA, a chelating agent whose hydroxyethyl group keeps it soluble at high pH where EDTA salts precipitate.
• Epoxy curing. Three active amine hydrogens open epoxide rings, with the hydroxyl improving compatibility and adhesion in the cured network.
• Amidation and alkoxylation. Selective reaction at the primary amine, the secondary amine or the hydroxyl allows staged construction of surfactant and additive structures.

AEEA vs the Ethyleneamines and Alkanolamines

AEEA sits at the junction of two families — it is formally an ethyleneamine with one arm hydroxylated, or an ethanolamine with one arm aminated. Comparing it with its neighbours on both sides explains what it is bought for.

Stated plainly: what distinguishes AEEA from DETA in imidazoline chemistry is the hydroxyethyl arm, which stays on the finished ring and provides a point for further functionalisation — quaternisation, esterification or ethoxylation — that a purely aminic chain cannot offer. What distinguishes it from EDA in chelant chemistry is the same group, which gives HEEDTA its solubility at high pH where EDTA salts fall out of solution. The hydroxyl is the whole point of the molecule.

Industries We Supply AEEA To

The same molecule leaves our warehouse for very different factories. What changes between them is not the CAS number but the grade — distribution and colour in particular — and the documentation each sector expects.

Where AEEA is Used

AEEA's markets all exploit the same thing: three different reactive groups on one molecule. These are the end uses our customers buy it for, roughly in order of volume.

In imidazoline chemistry

This is the largest outlet and the one that justifies AEEA's structure. Condensing it with a fatty acid gives an amide, and continued heating with removal of water closes the nitrogen-nitrogen pair into a five-membered imidazoline ring — with the hydroxyethyl arm left hanging off the ring nitrogen. That retained hydroxyl is what makes the product useful: it can be quaternised, esterified or ethoxylated to tune the finished surfactant. The resulting 2-alkyl imidazolines and their quaternaries are the backbone of fabric softeners, amphoteric surfactants and a large family of oilfield corrosion inhibitors.

In oilfield corrosion inhibition

An imidazoline inhibitor has an almost ideal architecture for the job: the fatty tail dissolves in the hydrocarbon phase, the ring nitrogen binds to the steel surface, and the hydroxyethyl arm provides water compatibility and a handle for further modification. These are among the most widely used inhibitors in pipeline and downhole service, and AEEA is the standard amine for making them. Blenders care about batch-to-batch consistency of the ethyleneamine distribution more than about absolute purity.

In chelating agent manufacture

Carboxymethylating AEEA gives hydroxyethyl ethylenediaminetriacetic acid — HEEDTA — which differs from EDTA by having a hydroxyethyl group in place of one carboxymethyl arm. That substitution costs a little chelating strength and buys a great deal of solubility: HEEDTA salts stay in solution at high pH where EDTA salts precipitate, which matters in concentrated alkaline cleaners, in textile processing and in micronutrient formulations for agriculture.

In epoxy systems

Three active amine hydrogens make AEEA a functional curing agent, and the hydroxyl improves wetting and adhesion to polar substrates. It is used both directly and, more often, as a component in polyamide-amine and adduct hardeners where its contribution is flexibility and substrate compatibility rather than maximum crosslink density.

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 ethyleneamine distribution — gas chromatography quantifying EDA, DETA, piperazine, hydroxyethylpiperazine and MEA. For imidazoline and chelant work this profile matters more than assay alone.
• Total and primary amine value — titration. The primary amine figure specifically flags species that will behave differently in ring closure.
• Colour — APHA / Hazen against a standard. AEEA darkens on air contact more readily than the simple alkanolamines, and colour carries into finished surfactants.
• Water content — Karl Fischer titration. AEEA is strongly hygroscopic and drifts once a drum is opened; water also matters in the dehydrative cyclisation to imidazoline.
• Viscosity — a quick practical check correlating with water and heavies content.
• Metals and residue — iron and evaporation residue, both of which matter in chelant and surfactant service.

Common Process Problems & Likely Causes

When AEEA 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. 210 kg net in lined steel or HDPE drums, with 1000 L IBCs for larger users.
• Bulk packing. Road tankers and ISO tank containers for surfactant and inhibitor producers.
• Inert blanketing. Nitrogen-blanketed at fill where colour matters. AEEA darkens on air contact more readily than the simple alkanolamines.
• Storage. Cool, dry, well-ventilated and bunded, with containers tightly closed and protected from air and moisture.
• Materials of construction. Stainless steel or suitable lined vessels. Carbon steel is used in some service but corrodes more readily when the amine is hot or loaded with acid gas. Avoid copper, brass, bronze and aluminium.
• Oxygen exclusion. The ethanolamines oxidise and darken on air contact, particularly when warm. Nitrogen blanketing is standard for colour-sensitive grades and for any heated storage.
• Shelf life. Typically 12 months in unopened original packing under those conditions. Beyond that, re-test rather than assume.
• Reproductive hazard handling. AEEA is classified in several systems as a reproductive hazard. Exposure control and the associated workplace risk assessment should reflect that rather than treating it as a routine corrosive.
• Transport classification. Typically UN 2735, Amines, liquid, corrosive, n.o.s., Class 8. Confirm the entry and packing group against the current SDS for your destination and mode.

Hazards & Safe Handling

Aminoethylethanolamine is corrosive, a sensitiser and is classified in several systems as a reproductive hazard. It 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.

• Reproductive hazard. AEEA is classified in several regulatory systems as damaging or suspected of damaging the unborn child. This is the most important health point about the product and it should shape the workplace risk assessment, the exposure controls and any site policy on who works with the material — rather than being treated as a footnote to a corrosive classification.
• Sensitisation. AEEA is a skin sensitiser. Once a worker is sensitised, exposures previously tolerated can provoke a reaction, so preventing first contact matters more than managing repeat contact.
• Exposure control. Handle in a closed system or under local exhaust ventilation. Vapour pressure is very low at ambient, so skin contact is the dominant route — except where the material is heated, which it often is in imidazoline manufacture.
• PPE. Chemical-resistant gloves rated for amines, chemical goggles and face shield, and chemical-resistant clothing. Glove breakthrough time is worth checking rather than assuming.
• Hot process operations. Imidazoline cyclisation runs hot with water removal, which raises vapour and mist exposure considerably above ambient handling. Treat it as a separate operation with its own controls.
• Incompatibilities. Strong oxidising agents, strong acids, acid chlorides, nitrites, isocyanates, and copper, brass, bronze and aluminium equipment.
• Environment. Harmful to aquatic life. Do not allow to enter drains, surface water or groundwater. Dispose through a licensed chemical waste contractor.
• First aid. Remove contaminated clothing immediately, wash skin with plenty of water and soap, flush eyes for at least 15 minutes, and seek medical attention with the SDS to hand. Report any skin reaction, which may indicate developing sensitisation.

Regulatory & Compliance Notes

Aminoethylethanolamine is listed on the major national chemical inventories, but its reproductive hazard classification gives it a heavier regulatory profile than most alkanolamines. The notes below are orientation rather than legal advice — confirm your own position with your regulatory adviser before importing, and build the classification into your assessment early.

• Inventory status. 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.
• 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.
• Reproductive hazard classification. Classified in several systems as damaging or suspected of damaging the unborn child. This affects labelling, workplace controls and, in some jurisdictions, authorisation, substitution and restriction obligations — including on the concentration permitted in mixtures supplied to the public. Confirm the position at destination before formulating.
• Consumer product thresholds. Because of the reproductive classification, residual AEEA in a finished consumer product may be subject to concentration limits. In imidazoline manufacture the amine is consumed, but residual levels should be established rather than assumed.
• Family supply dynamics. AEEA comes out of the ethyleneamine train, so availability tracks ethylenediamine, DETA and piperazine. Plan contract cover across the family rather than product by product.
• Dangerous goods. Typically UN 2735, Amines, liquid, corrosive, n.o.s., Class 8. Confirm the entry against the current SDS; declarations prepared for IMDG (sea) or IATA (air) as appropriate.

We Supply AEEA Worldwide

Chelora Chemicals is a supplier and export partner, not a single-plant trader. We ship Aminoethylethanolamine (AEEA) 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 AEEA from Chelora

We are an independent sourcing and supply partner. For AEEA that means paying attention to the ethyleneamine distribution rather than the assay alone, because in imidazoline and chelant chemistry the close-boiling relatives carry different functionality and change the product rather than merely diluting it.

• Documentation on every lot. Batch-specific COA including the full ethyleneamine distribution, current SDS and TDS.
• Samples before commitment. Trial quantities for process qualification ahead of a commercial order.
• Quantities. From a single 210 kg drum through to repeat tank loads on contract supply.
• Export experience. Class 8 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 cyclisation, distribution or handling classification.
• Related intermediates. EDA, DETA, TETA, TEPA, piperazine, MEA and the wider ethyleneamine 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 Ethyleneamines & Alkanolamines

Buyers of AEEA usually source several of these alongside it — they come off the same plant and move together on availability. Consolidating them on one order cuts freight cost and gives you a single point of contact for documentation.