Aniline Aminobenzene · Phenylamine · CAS 62-53-3
Chelora Chemicals supplies Aniline, the parent aromatic amine behind MDI and polyurethanes, rubber processing chemicals, dyes, agrochemicals and pharmaceutical intermediates. It is a toxic, readily skin-absorbed liquid that darkens in air, so every consignment ships nitrogen-blanketed where the grade requires it, with a batch-specific COA and the current SDS.
Also known as: Aminobenzene · Phenylamine · Benzenamine · Aminophen · Aniline oil · Blue oil
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Price, lead time and a sample COA for Aniline, usually within one working day. We ship worldwide.
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- Batch-specific COA (GC purity, colour, water, nitrobenzene)
- Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
- Dangerous-goods declaration & export documents
- Third-party inspection on request
- Certificate of origin
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What is Aniline?
Aniline, chemically aminobenzene or phenylamine, is the simplest primary aromatic amine: a benzene ring carrying a single amino group, formula C₆H₅NH₂. Freshly distilled it is a colourless to pale yellow oily liquid with a characteristic musty, fishy amine odour. It boils at about 184 °C, freezes at about −6 °C, is denser than water at roughly 1.022 g/cm³, and is slightly but appreciably soluble in water at around 36 g/L at 20 °C.
Aniline matters because it is a platform chemical rather than a niche intermediate. The amino group is strongly activating and ortho/para-directing, which makes the ring unusually reactive toward electrophilic substitution, while the nitrogen itself can be diazotised, acylated, alkylated or condensed with carbonyl compounds. That combination of two reactive handles on one small, cheap molecule is why aniline sits at the head of several entirely separate value chains at once.
Globally, the overwhelming majority of aniline production — on the order of 85% — is condensed with formaldehyde to methylene dianiline (MDA) and then phosgenated to MDI, the diisocyanate behind rigid polyurethane insulation foam, binders and adhesives. The balance goes to rubber processing chemicals, dyes and pigments, agrochemicals, pharmaceutical intermediates and specialty fine chemicals. A buyer sourcing aniline is therefore buying into a market whose price and availability are driven far more by polyurethane demand and benzene economics than by their own end use.
It is also a genuinely hazardous material and should be specified and handled as one. Aniline is acutely toxic by the oral, dermal and inhalation routes, is readily absorbed through intact skin, causes methaemoglobinaemia, is a suspected carcinogen and suspected mutagen, and is classified as causing damage to blood and organs through prolonged or repeated exposure. It ships as UN 1547, Class 6.1, Packing Group II. The handling, storage and documentation sections below are not boilerplate for this product.
Why aniline specifically
- The parent aromatic amine. Nearly every substituted aniline, from the toluidines to the chloroanilines to the N-alkyl anilines, is made from it or alongside it, so it is the reference point for the whole family.
- Two independent reactive sites. The amino nitrogen and the activated ring can be functionalised separately, which is what gives aniline its reach across polyurethanes, colorants and crop protection from a single feedstock.
- Diazotisation chemistry. As a primary aromatic amine it diazotises cleanly to the benzenediazonium salt, the classical entry point into azo dyes and a wide range of ring substitutions.
- Scale and continuity. It is produced in millions of tonnes a year on dedicated world-scale plants, which means availability is generally good and the real sourcing questions are grade, colour, logistics and documentation rather than whether material exists.
How Aniline is Manufactured
Almost all commercial aniline is made by catalytic hydrogenation of nitrobenzene, which in turn comes from the nitration of benzene. The chain from crude oil to aniline is therefore short and tightly coupled: benzene, nitrobenzene, aniline. A small minority of world capacity uses the ammonolysis of phenol instead.
| Route | Chemistry | Position in the market |
|---|---|---|
| Nitrobenzene hydrogenation | Nitrobenzene + 3 H₂ → aniline + 2 H₂O, over a supported copper, nickel or noble-metal catalyst | The dominant route — the large majority of world capacity, in both vapour-phase and liquid-phase variants |
| Phenol ammonolysis | Phenol + NH₃ → aniline + H₂O over an alumina-based catalyst | A minority route, economic only where phenol is long and cheap relative to benzene |
| Nitrobenzene iron reduction | Classical Béchamp reduction with iron and acid | Largely historical for bulk aniline; survives in some specialty and iron-oxide-pigment co-production contexts |
The dominant route, step by step
- Benzene nitration. Benzene is nitrated with mixed nitric and sulfuric acid to nitrobenzene, which is washed and separated from spent acid.
- Catalytic hydrogenation. Nitrobenzene is hydrogenated with hydrogen over a supported catalyst. The reaction is strongly exothermic and heat removal is the central engineering problem, since runaway conditions drive by-product formation and catalyst damage.
- Phase separation. The reactor effluent separates into a crude aniline phase and a water phase. Because aniline is appreciably water-soluble, the aqueous layer is itself extracted or stripped to recover dissolved product.
- Dehydration and distillation. Water is removed and the crude amine is distilled, typically under vacuum, to strip residual nitrobenzene, cyclohexylamine, cyclohexanol and the heavier condensation products such as diphenylamine.
- Colour control and blanketing. Finished aniline is water-white when fresh but oxidises and darkens quickly in air. Product is cooled, nitrogen-blanketed and filled into clean, dry, light-protected containers to preserve colour.
Typical Commercial Specification
Figures below are representative of commercial-grade aniline. Tell us your downstream route and the colour tolerance you work to, and we will advise on the grade to order against.
| Parameter | Typical Value |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Clear, colourless to pale yellow oily liquid, free of suspended matter |
| Aniline content | 99.8% min by GC |
| Residual nitrobenzene | To grade, typically 50 – 100 ppm max |
| Water content | To grade, typically 0.2 – 0.5% max |
| Colour (Hazen / APHA) | To grade, typically 30 max on a freshly drawn sample |
| Cyclohexylamine / cyclohexanol | To grade, low ppm |
| Non-volatile residue | Typically 0.01% max |
| Density (20 °C) | About 1.021 – 1.023 g/cm³ |
| Distillation range | Typically 183 – 186 °C, 95% volume |
| Freezing point | About −6 °C |
| Flash point | About 70 °C (closed cup) |
Grades we are asked for
| Grade | Typical limits | Bought for |
|---|---|---|
| Standard technical | 99.8% min, colour 30 max, nitrobenzene 100 ppm max | MDI/MDA feed, rubber chemicals, general synthesis |
| Low-colour | Colour 15 – 20 max on a fresh sample, nitrogen-blanketed packing | Dye and pigment routes where shade is sensitive to feedstock colour |
| Low-nitrobenzene | Residual nitrobenzene tightened to 20 – 50 ppm | Pharmaceutical and fine-chemical intermediates with tight genotoxic-impurity control |
Physical & Chemical Properties
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Chemical formula | C₆H₇N (C₆H₅NH₂) |
| Molecular weight | 93.13 g/mol |
| Appearance | Colourless to pale yellow oily liquid, darkening to brown in air |
| Odour | Characteristic musty, amine-like |
| Melting / freezing point | About −6 °C |
| Boiling point | About 184 °C at atmospheric pressure |
| Density | About 1.022 g/cm³ at 20 °C (heavier than water) |
| Flash point | About 70 °C (closed cup) |
| Autoignition temperature | About 615 °C |
| Vapour pressure | About 0.5 – 0.7 hPa at 20 – 25 °C (low) |
| Vapour density | About 3.2 (air = 1) |
| Solubility in water | About 36 g/L at 20 °C; miscible with most organic solvents |
| Basicity | Weak base, pKa of the anilinium ion about 4.6 |
| Refractive index | About 1.586 at 20 °C |
| Viscosity | About 3.7 mPa·s at 25 °C |
| Incompatibilities | Strong oxidisers, strong acids, acid chlorides, acid anhydrides; air and light cause darkening |
Behaviour in the process
Aniline's reactivity pattern is what downstream chemists are buying:
- Diazotisation. Treated with nitrous acid at low temperature it forms the benzenediazonium salt, which couples with phenols and amines to give azo dyes, or undergoes Sandmeyer chemistry to install halogens, cyano and hydroxy groups on the ring.
- Condensation with formaldehyde. Under acid catalysis two aniline molecules condense through a methylene bridge to methylene dianiline, the direct precursor to MDI. This single reaction consumes most of the world's aniline.
- N-acylation and N-alkylation. The nitrogen acylates readily to acetanilide and related amides, and alkylates to the N-methyl, N-ethyl and N,N-dialkyl anilines used as dye couplers and solvents.
- Ring substitution. The amino group is strongly activating and ortho/para-directing, so nitration, sulfonation and halogenation are fast — often too fast, which is why the amine is commonly protected as the acetanilide before ring functionalisation to control the product distribution.
- Air oxidation. Exposed to air and light it oxidises progressively to coloured species and ultimately to tarry residue. This is a storage and handling property, not a specification artefact, and it governs how the product is packed.
- Weak basicity. With a pKa near 4.6 the anilinium ion is far more acidic than that of an aliphatic amine, so aniline is a markedly weaker base than, say, cyclohexylamine, and forms salts only with strong acids.
Where the World's Aniline Actually Goes
Understanding the split matters commercially, because it tells you whose demand sets your price. A dye-intermediate buyer purchasing a few hundred tonnes a year is a passenger in a market steered by polyurethane.
| Outlet | Approximate share | What is made |
|---|---|---|
| MDA and MDI | Around 85% | Rigid insulation foam, flexible foam, binders, adhesives, elastomers, coatings |
| Rubber processing chemicals | Roughly 8 – 10% | Antidegradants and accelerators for tyres and technical rubber goods |
| Agrochemicals | Low single digits | Herbicide and fungicide intermediates built on substituted anilines |
| Dyes and pigments | Low single digits | Azo dyes, pigment intermediates, N-alkyl aniline couplers |
| Pharmaceutical & fine chemicals | Small but high value | Acetanilide-route actives, sulfonamides and specialty intermediates |
Shares are indicative of the global pattern rather than figures for any one region or year; the regional balance in India and Asia skews somewhat further toward rubber chemicals, dyes and agrochemical intermediates than the global average.
Aniline and Related Aromatic Amines
Aniline is the parent of a large family. The materials below are not substitutes for it in finished applications — they are the derivatives and neighbours buyers most often weigh against it when specifying a route.
| Material | Relationship to aniline | When it is the right choice |
|---|---|---|
| Aniline | The parent primary aromatic amine | MDA/MDI, rubber chemicals, diazotisation routes, and as feedstock for every item below |
| Nitrobenzene | The immediate precursor | Where the reduction is run in-house, or for nitrobenzene's own uses as a solvent and intermediate |
| N-Ethylaniline | Mono-N-alkylated derivative | Where a secondary amine is needed, or as a feed to further N-alkylation |
| Methyl Ethyl Aniline | Fully N-alkylated tertiary derivative | Dye and pigment couplers needing a specific tertiary-amine steric and electronic profile |
| Ortho Toluidine | Ring-methylated homologue | Dye and pigment routes where the methyl substituent is designed into the molecule |
| Para Chloro Aniline | Ring-chlorinated derivative | Agrochemical and dye intermediates requiring the para-chloro substitution pattern |
| Para Nitro Aniline | Ring-nitrated derivative | Azo dye and pigment synthesis where the nitro group is carried into the product |
Stated plainly: if a specification calls for aniline, a substituted aniline is almost never a drop-in alternative. The substituent changes basicity, coupling position, shade and solubility, and in regulated routes it changes the impurity profile you have to justify. Where a swap is genuinely being considered, send us the route and we will say honestly whether it is realistic.
Industries We Supply Aniline To
The same liquid amine goes to a polyurethane complex, a tyre-chemicals plant and a dye house. What changes is the grade, the packing scale and the documentation each requires.
Where Aniline is Used
Aniline is bought as a synthesis feedstock rather than a functional chemical in its own right. These are the end uses our customers build it into.
In polyurethane manufacture
Aniline and formaldehyde are condensed under acid catalysis to a mixture of methylene dianiline isomers and higher oligomers, which is then phosgenated to polymeric and monomeric MDI. Because this route dominates global consumption, MDI operating rates are the single biggest determinant of aniline availability and price. Buyers in other segments who need continuity are usually better served by a contract with scheduled call-offs than by buying spot into a market set by someone else's turnaround schedule.
In rubber chemicals
Aniline is the entry point to the antidegradants that keep tyres from cracking under ozone and flex fatigue, and to several accelerator families. These routes are sensitive to residual nitrobenzene and to colour, and they run at large enough scale that packing format and delivery cadence matter as much as unit price.
In dyes, pigments and fine chemicals
Here the quantities are smaller and the specification is tighter. Diazotisation needs a clean, low-colour feed, because feedstock colour and oxidation products carry through into shade. For pharmaceutical intermediates, residual nitrobenzene is the parameter most often tightened, since it has to be controlled and justified in the downstream impurity profile.
Need a specific purity, colour or packing format?
Tell us the purity, colour and nitrobenzene tolerance, your downstream route, the packing you can receive and the annual quantity. We will come back with a price, a lead time and a sample COA.
Quality Control & Testing
Every lot is released against a batch-specific Certificate of Analysis. For aniline, colour and residual nitrobenzene are reported alongside assay as a matter of course, because both carry consequences downstream that a purity figure alone will not reveal.
- Aniline content — by gas chromatography, the primary grade measure.
- Residual nitrobenzene — reported in ppm, because it is the characteristic unreacted feedstock impurity and is itself toxic and tightly controlled in pharmaceutical routes.
- Colour (Hazen / APHA) — measured on a freshly drawn sample, since the figure moves as soon as the material meets air.
- Water content — by Karl Fischer, because moisture affects condensation and diazotisation chemistry and promotes corrosion in storage.
- Cyclohexylamine and cyclohexanol — over-hydrogenation by-products that signal how the reduction was run.
- Non-volatile residue and distillation range — checked as fast indicators of heavy ends and overall identity.
- Density and refractive index — quick identity confirmations on receipt.
Common Process Problems & Likely Causes
When aniline causes trouble, it is almost always colour, moisture, residual nitrobenzene or a storage practice rather than the assay. This table is the shortcut our technical desk works through before anyone opens a complaint file.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Material darker on arrival than on the COA | Air ingress in transit, lost nitrogen blanket, or simply elapsed time | Blanket pressure on arrival, drum seal integrity, date of manufacture versus date of sampling |
| Dull or off-shade dye after coupling | Feedstock colour bodies carried into the diazotisation | Colour (Hazen) on a fresh sample and the storage history of the drum in use |
| Low diazotisation yield | Water content, or amine partly consumed by oxidation | Karl Fischer water and colour on the working container, not the delivery average |
| Unexpected impurity in a regulated route | Residual nitrobenzene or cyclohexylamine above your tolerance | ppm figures on the batch COA against your registered impurity limits |
| Rust-coloured contamination or haze | Corrosion product or water pick-up from an unsuitable container or line | Materials of construction, line cleanliness, and whether the drum was fully dry before filling |
| Solidified or slushy material in winter | Ambient below the roughly −6 °C freezing point | Storage temperature; warm gently and homogenise before drawing a sample |
| Persistent odour in the handling area | Vapour escape from an open transfer, or residue on drum fittings | Closed-transfer practice and local exhaust — treat odour as an exposure signal, not a nuisance |
Packaging, Storage & Shipping
- Standard packing. Lined or lacquered steel drums at roughly 225 kg net, IBCs, and ISO tanks or flexitanks for bulk. Aniline is denser than water, so a drum holds more kilograms than its litre rating suggests — confirm net weight rather than assuming.
- Nitrogen blanketing. The single most effective colour-protection measure. For colour-critical grades, material is filled and shipped under nitrogen, and the blanket should be re-established after each withdrawal.
- Light and air protection. Store in closed, opaque containers out of direct sunlight; keep headspace to a minimum in part-used drums.
- Temperature. Store at ambient and above the roughly −6 °C freezing point. In cold climates, heated or traced storage and lines prevent freezing and the sampling errors that follow partial solidification.
- Segregation. Keep away from strong oxidisers, strong acids, acid chlorides and anhydrides. Store in a bunded area with spill containment, away from foodstuffs.
- Shelf life. Typically around 12 months in sealed, blanketed, properly stored containers. Re-test colour and water on older stock rather than assume it still meets specification.
- Transport classification. UN 1547, Class 6.1 (toxic), Packing Group II, and a marine pollutant. Documentation, labelling, placarding and segregation follow the toxic-substance rules for your mode — this is not a general-cargo chemical.
- Receiving. Plan the unloading point, PPE, eyewash and emergency shower before the vehicle arrives, and confirm your site can receive a Class 6.1 PG II consignment.
Materials of Construction & Transfer Practice
Aniline is not strongly corrosive to common steels, but material choice has a direct effect on colour, and colour is what most buyers are actually protecting. Trace metal contamination accelerates the oxidation that turns a water-white liquid brown.
| Material | Suitability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stainless steel 304 / 316 | Preferred | The usual choice for storage, lines and pumps where colour matters |
| Carbon steel, lined or lacquered | Widely used | Acceptable for bulk storage; an intact lining protects colour and avoids iron pick-up |
| Copper and copper alloys | Avoid | Promotes discolouration; brass and bronze fittings are a common hidden cause of colour drift |
| Aluminium and galvanised surfaces | Avoid | Not recommended for prolonged contact |
| PTFE, PVDF, fluoroelastomer seals | Suitable | Standard gasket and seal choices for amine service |
| Natural rubber, EPDM, some plastics | Check before use | Swelling and permeation vary; verify against your supplier's chemical-resistance data |
- Closed transfer. Use pumped or nitrogen-pressured closed transfer rather than open pouring. This protects both the product colour and the operator, since skin contact and vapour inhalation are the two routes that matter most with this material.
- Dry systems. Ensure lines, drums and vessels are dry before filling. Water pick-up shows up later as a Karl Fischer failure and as corrosion.
- Dedicated service. Where colour tolerance is tight, dedicate lines and pumps to aniline rather than sharing them across products.
- Sampling. Draw samples into clean, dry, amber or opaque bottles, fill to minimise headspace, cap immediately and test colour promptly — a sample left standing will not read the same an hour later.
Hazards & Safe Handling
Aniline is a toxic substance and should be handled on that basis. It is acutely toxic by the oral, dermal and inhalation routes, is readily absorbed through intact skin in hazardous amounts, and causes methaemoglobinaemia — a reduction in the blood's ability to carry oxygen, which presents as headache, dizziness, breathlessness and a blue-grey discolouration of the lips, fingertips and skin. It is also classified as a suspected carcinogen and suspected mutagen, as causing serious eye damage, as a skin sensitiser, and as causing damage to blood and organs through prolonged or repeated exposure. It is very toxic to aquatic life.
- Skin absorption is the route people underestimate. Aniline passes through intact skin fast enough to cause systemic poisoning without any splash to the eyes or inhalation at all. Occupational exposure limits for aniline carry a "skin" notation for exactly this reason, and a glove failure is a serious exposure, not a minor one.
- Methaemoglobinaemia. The characteristic acute effect. Cyanosis — blue-grey lips, nail beds and skin — is the visible sign and warrants immediate removal from exposure and urgent medical attention. Treatment is a medical decision; your occupational health provider should know in advance that aniline is handled on site.
- Carcinogenicity and genotoxicity. Classified as a suspected human carcinogen and suspected mutagen. Exposure should be reduced to the lowest reasonably practicable level rather than merely kept under a limit value.
- Eye contact. Causes serious eye damage. Chemical goggles, and a face shield where splashing is credible, are the minimum.
- Respiratory protection. Vapour pressure is low at ambient, but heating, spraying, open transfer or a spill will generate hazardous concentrations. Use local exhaust ventilation; supply appropriate respiratory protection for non-routine work, confined-space entry and spill response.
- PPE. Chemical-resistant gloves of a type verified against aniline breakthrough data, chemical goggles, and impervious protective clothing covering the arms. Change gloves on the manufacturer's breakthrough schedule rather than when they look dirty.
- Hygiene. No eating, drinking or smoking in handling areas. Wash thoroughly after handling. Remove and launder contaminated clothing before re-use; discard contaminated leather items, which cannot be decontaminated.
- Emergency provision. Eyewash and safety shower within immediate reach of the handling point. In the event of skin contact, remove contaminated clothing and wash the skin thoroughly with soap and water at once, and seek medical attention.
- Fire. Combustible, with a flash point near 70 °C and autoignition around 615 °C. Combustion produces toxic nitrogen oxides. Keep away from ignition sources and use appropriate extinguishing media per the SDS.
- Spill and environment. Very toxic to aquatic life. Contain spills, prevent entry to drains and watercourses, absorb with inert material and dispose of as hazardous waste through a licensed route.
- Health surveillance. Many jurisdictions expect biological monitoring and health surveillance for workers regularly handling aniline. Check your local occupational health requirements before you start handling it.
Regulatory & Compliance Notes
Aniline is a high-volume, long-established industrial chemical that nonetheless attracts meaningful regulatory attention because of its toxicity and suspected carcinogenicity. Obligations differ by territory and by use, so the notes below are orientation rather than legal advice — confirm your own position with your regulatory adviser.
- GHS classification. Carries the "Danger" signal word, with acute toxicity, serious eye damage, skin sensitisation, suspected carcinogenicity and mutagenicity, specific target organ toxicity on repeated exposure, and aquatic toxicity. The SDS carries the full hazard statements for your grade and region.
- Occupational exposure limits. Set in most jurisdictions with a "skin" notation marking dermal absorption as a significant route. Limit values differ between countries — check the figure that applies at your site rather than the one on an imported sheet.
- REACH and inventories. Registered under EU REACH and listed on the major national chemical inventories. Downstream users in the EU should check the registered uses and the exposure scenarios attached to the extended SDS.
- Transport. UN 1547, Class 6.1, Packing Group II, marine pollutant. Correct classification, packaging, marking, placarding and segregation apply across road, sea and air, and the paperwork must match the consignment exactly.
- Hazardous-chemical rules. In India and many other jurisdictions aniline falls within hazardous-chemical storage, handling and major-accident rules, with threshold quantities that trigger additional site obligations. Check your inventory against those thresholds.
- Release reporting. Several jurisdictions require reporting of releases and transfers of aniline under pollutant inventory schemes. Factor this into your environmental reporting calendar.
- HS code. Aniline and its salts have their own tariff line, commonly 2921.41. Confirm the exact line with your customs broker for your jurisdiction and grade.
- Quality agreements. Pharmaceutical and regulated-route buyers commonly expect documented purity, nitrobenzene and water limits plus formal change control. Tell us what your agreement requires and we will confirm what we can commit to in writing.
We Supply Aniline Worldwide
Chelora Chemicals is a supplier and export partner, not a single-plant trader. We ship Aniline from India and from partner sources to customers across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and North and South America, handling the dangerous-goods documentation 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 ports arranged as routing allows.
- Documentation. Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, dangerous-goods declaration, COA and SDS issued as a complete set.
- Import formalities raised early. Several destinations require importer registration or prior notification for Class 6.1 toxic substances. We raise this at enquiry stage, because it delays more consignments than production ever does.
- Flexible volumes. From drum trial quantities up to repeat isotank shipments on a supply contract.
- Supply continuity. Because we are independent of any one producer, an MDI-driven allocation or a plant turnaround at one source does not have to become your stock-out.
Buying Aniline from Chelora
We are an independent sourcing and supply partner. For aniline that means settling four things at enquiry: the grade and colour tolerance your process needs, the residual-nitrobenzene limit if you are in a regulated route, the packing format your site can safely receive, and whether your destination has an import formality for Class 6.1 material.
- Documentation on every lot. Batch-specific COA with purity, colour, water and residual nitrobenzene, plus the current SDS and the dangerous-goods paperwork.
- Analysis before commitment. Representative analysis shared ahead of a commercial order so your lab can qualify the material.
- Packing options. Lined steel drums, IBCs, isotanks and flexitanks, nitrogen-blanketed where colour tolerance requires it.
- Quantities. Drum trial quantities through to repeat bulk shipments on contract supply with scheduled call-offs.
- Inspection. Independent third-party inspection available at loading when the contract requires it.
- Related amines. Nitrobenzene, the toluidines, chloroanilines, nitroanilines and N-alkyl anilines alongside aniline from one supplier and one documentation standard.
- A straight answer. If your colour or impurity limit is not realistic at the price or lead time you need, we will say so at enquiry rather than agree and then struggle.
How ordering works
- Send the enquiry. Grade, colour and nitrobenzene tolerance, quantity, destination port and the Incoterm you buy on. If you have a spec sheet or a COA from your current source, attach it — it saves a round trip.
- We quote. Price, lead time, packing format and a sample COA, normally within one working day, together with any import formality your destination needs for Class 6.1 material.
- Qualify the supply. For first orders, colour-critical or regulated applications, we share the analysis so your technical team can sign off before you commit.
- Confirm the order. Proforma invoice issued; payment terms agreed against the volume and the relationship.
- Allocation and QC. Material allocated and released against a batch-specific COA, with an independent inspection where the contract calls for it.
- Ship and document. Packed, blanketed, labelled and placarded for Class 6.1, loaded with the full export document set, and tracked through to arrival.
Aniline — Common Questions
The questions our technical desk is asked most often about aniline. If yours isn't here, call or email and you will reach someone who knows the chemistry.
What is the CAS number of Aniline?
The CAS number for aniline is 62-53-3, and its EC number is 200-539-3. Its molecular formula is C₆H₇N (C₆H₅NH₂) with a molecular weight of 93.13 g/mol. It is also known as aminobenzene, phenylamine and benzenamine.
What is Aniline used for?
Around 85% of world production goes into MDA and then MDI for polyurethanes — rigid insulation foam, binders, adhesives and elastomers. The balance goes to rubber processing chemicals such as antidegradants and accelerators, azo dyes and pigments, agrochemical intermediates, pharmaceutical and fine chemicals, and the production of substituted anilines.
Do you supply Aniline worldwide?
Yes. Chelora Chemicals supplies and exports aniline worldwide — across Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, as well as throughout India. Every consignment carries a batch-specific COA, the current SDS and the Class 6.1 dangerous-goods documentation prepared before despatch.
How is Aniline manufactured?
Almost all commercial aniline is made by catalytic hydrogenation of nitrobenzene, which is itself made by nitrating benzene. The hydrogenation is run in vapour or liquid phase over a supported catalyst, after which the product is separated from water, dehydrated and distilled. A minority of capacity uses ammonolysis of phenol instead, and the classical iron-and-acid Béchamp reduction survives only in specialty contexts.
Is Aniline hazardous?
Yes — significantly so, and it should be specified and handled on that basis. Aniline is acutely toxic by the oral, dermal and inhalation routes, is readily absorbed through intact skin, and causes methaemoglobinaemia, which reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen. It is additionally classified as a suspected carcinogen and suspected mutagen, as causing serious eye damage and skin sensitisation, as damaging blood and organs on repeated exposure, and as very toxic to aquatic life. It carries the "Danger" signal word. Work from the current SDS and your own occupational health advice.
Why is skin contact with Aniline such a concern?
Because aniline passes through intact skin fast enough to cause systemic poisoning on its own, without any inhalation or ingestion. This is why occupational exposure limits for aniline carry a "skin" notation. A glove failure or a soaked sleeve is a serious exposure event, not a housekeeping issue — remove contaminated clothing, wash the skin thoroughly at once and seek medical attention.
What is methaemoglobinaemia and how would I recognise it?
It is the characteristic acute effect of aniline exposure: haemoglobin is chemically altered so that it can no longer carry oxygen normally. The visible sign is cyanosis — a blue-grey discolouration of the lips, nail beds and skin — usually with headache, dizziness, fatigue and breathlessness. Anyone showing these signs should be removed from exposure immediately and given urgent medical attention. Treatment is a medical decision, so make sure your occupational health provider knows in advance that aniline is handled on site.
How should Aniline be stored?
In closed, opaque containers under a nitrogen blanket where colour matters, at ambient temperature and above its roughly −6 °C freezing point, out of direct sunlight, in a bunded area with spill containment. Keep it away from strong oxidisers, strong acids, acid chlorides and anhydrides. Re-establish the blanket and minimise headspace after each withdrawal from a part-used drum.
Why does Aniline turn brown, and is darkened material still usable?
Fresh aniline is water-white but oxidises in air and light to coloured quinoid and polymeric species, progressing from pale yellow through amber to brown. Whether darkened material is still usable depends entirely on your route: for MDA or many rubber-chemical routes it is often immaterial, while for dye and pigment work the colour carries straight into the shade. Check the colour on a freshly drawn sample from the working container, not on the delivery-average figure, and tell us your tolerance so we quote the right grade and packing.
What purity grades do you offer?
Standard commercial grade is 99.8% minimum by GC, with colour typically 30 Hazen max and residual nitrobenzene typically 50–100 ppm max. We also supply a low-colour grade for shade-sensitive dye and pigment routes, and a tightened low-nitrobenzene grade for pharmaceutical and regulated fine-chemical use. Tell us your downstream route and we will advise on the grade to order against.
Why is residual nitrobenzene reported on the COA?
Nitrobenzene is the feedstock the aniline was made from, so unreacted traces are the characteristic process impurity. It matters for two reasons: it is itself a toxic substance, and in pharmaceutical and other regulated routes it has to be controlled and justified within the downstream impurity profile. We report it in ppm on every batch rather than only when asked.
Is Aniline classified as a dangerous good for transport?
Yes. Aniline ships as UN 1547, Class 6.1 (toxic substances), Packing Group II, and is a marine pollutant. Labelling, placarding, segregation and documentation follow the toxic-substance rules for your transport mode, and the paperwork has to match the consignment exactly. Confirm the specific requirements for your lane with your carrier, and check whether your destination requires importer registration or prior notification.
What packing sizes and order quantities are available?
Lined or lacquered steel drums at roughly 225 kg net, IBCs, and ISO tanks or flexitanks for bulk, with nitrogen blanketing where colour tolerance requires it. Orders run from drum trial quantities up to repeat bulk loads on contract supply. Because aniline is denser than water, confirm net weight rather than assuming it from the drum's litre rating.
What is the typical shelf life?
Typically around 12 months in sealed, nitrogen-blanketed, properly stored containers. Shelf life here is really a colour question rather than an assay question — re-test colour and water on older stock rather than assuming it still meets specification.
Which materials of construction suit Aniline service?
Stainless steel 304 or 316 is the preferred choice, and lined or lacquered carbon steel is widely used for bulk storage. Avoid copper and copper alloys, which promote discolouration — brass and bronze fittings are a common hidden cause of colour drift — and avoid aluminium and galvanised surfaces for prolonged contact. PTFE, PVDF and fluoroelastomer seals are standard. Keep systems dry and use closed transfer.
How is Aniline different from nitrobenzene?
Nitrobenzene is aniline's immediate precursor: hydrogenating the nitro group of nitrobenzene gives the amino group of aniline. They are chemically distinct materials with different reactivity, different hazard profiles and different transport entries, and one is not a substitute for the other. Some producers run the reduction in-house and buy nitrobenzene instead; we can supply either.
Why does the Aniline price move when I haven't changed anything?
Because the market is set by polyurethane. With around 85% of world aniline going into MDA and MDI, your price and availability follow benzene and nitrobenzene economics and MDI operating rates, not demand from the dye or rubber-chemical segments. Buyers outside polyurethane who need continuity are usually better served by a contract with scheduled call-offs than by spot buying into someone else's market.
Can I get a sample before placing an order?
Yes. For first orders and for colour-critical or regulated applications we share an analysis from the actual lot, and can supply a sample with the same documentation as the commercial material so your laboratory qualifies what you will actually receive. Note that samples of a Class 6.1 substance travel under dangerous-goods rules, so tell us the destination early.
Ready to source Aniline?
Send us your grade, colour and nitrobenzene tolerance and your annual volume. You will get a price, a realistic lead time and a sample COA from someone who understands what the material has to do in your process — delivered anywhere in the world, with the Class 6.1 documentation handled.