Di-n-butylamine CAS 111-92-2

What is Di-n-butylamine?

Di-n-butylamine is a secondary amine with two straight-chain butyl groups on nitrogen, (C₄H₉)₂NH. Eight carbons on a single nitrogen puts it firmly into a different handling class from the lower amines: it boils at about 159 °C, has a flash point near 41 °C and is only slightly soluble in water.

In practical terms this makes it one of the easier amines to work with. There is no pressure build-up in storage, no flammable headspace at ordinary temperature, and ordinary drums and pumps handle it comfortably. It remains corrosive and it remains an amine — the fishy odour and the attack on copper are both present — but the fire precautions are a tier below those for butylamine itself.

It is a clear, colourless to pale-yellow liquid with a strong fishy, ammoniacal odour. The single N-H is unhindered and reactive, and the two butyl chains give the molecule and its derivatives real oil solubility and surface activity — which is the whole commercial point.

Commercially, di-n-butylamine is a rubber and oilfield chemical. Its largest outlet is zinc dibutyldithiocarbamate and related accelerators, and from there it runs through corrosion inhibitors, flotation collectors, emulsifiers, lubricant additives and a range of agrochemical and pharmaceutical intermediates.

Why di-n-butylamine specifically

• Oil solubility from a single molecule. Two butyl chains give derivatives genuine hydrocarbon compatibility, which is what makes dibutyl dithiocarbamates and dibutylamine-derived inhibitors work in oil-phase systems.
• One unhindered N-H. The nitrogen reacts cleanly with carbon disulphide, acid chlorides, isocyanates and epoxides, with no risk of the double reaction a primary amine allows.
• Easy handling. A 159 °C boiling point and a flash point above ambient put it in a far more comfortable handling class than the volatile butylamines.
• Low volatility in the finished product. Derivatives stay where they are put, which matters in lubricants, inhibitor films and rubber compounds alike.

How DBA is Manufactured

Di-n-butylamine is made alongside n-butylamine on the same plant, by aminating n-butanol or by reductive amination of butyraldehyde. Reactor configuration and recycle decide which amine dominates.

• Amination or reductive amination. n-Butanol or butyraldehyde is reacted with ammonia and hydrogen over a supported metal catalyst at elevated temperature and pressure, giving an equilibrium mixture of mono-, di- and tri-n-butylamine.
• Ratio control. A plant configured for the di- product runs a lower ammonia-to-substrate ratio than one making the mono amine, and recycles both the mono and tri cuts to shift the equilibrium toward the middle product.
• Separation. The crude mixture is resolved by fractional distillation with ammonia recovery. Di-n-butylamine boils well clear of the mono amine, which makes it comparatively straightforward to take to high purity.
• Finishing. The di- cut is taken to specification and filled into drums, IBCs or tanks, with nitrogen blanketing where colour matters — this product yellows on long exposure to air more visibly than the lighter amines.

Typical Commercial Specification

Figures below are representative of standard commercial grade. Tighter rubber-chemical and specialty grades with lower colour and mono amine are available — send us the specification you work to and we will quote against it.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Reactivity in practice

With one unhindered N-H and two oil-compatible butyl chains, di-n-butylamine supports straightforward secondary amine chemistry while carrying hydrocarbon solubility into whatever it makes:

• Dithiocarbamate formation. With carbon disulphide and a metal base it gives zinc, sodium and other dibutyl dithiocarbamates — fast vulcanisation accelerators and effective antioxidants and flotation collectors.
• Amide and urea formation. Reaction with acid chlorides, anhydrides or isocyanates gives N,N-dibutyl amides and ureas used in crop protection, lubricants and specialty chemistry.
• Mannich and aminomethylation chemistry. Condensation with formaldehyde and an active-hydrogen partner installs the dibutylaminomethyl group found in oilfield and fuel-additive inhibitors.
• Alkoxylation and quaternisation. Ethoxylation gives amine ethoxylate surfactants; alkylation gives tertiary amines and quaternary salts used as collectors and antistatic agents.

Di-n-butylamine vs Related Secondary Amines

Di-n-butylamine is usually chosen against a short list of other secondary amines, and the choice turns on chain length and hindrance — which together decide oil solubility, volatility and how freely the nitrogen reacts.

Stated plainly: the butyl chains are what you are buying. Diethylamine gives the same reactivity with none of the oil solubility, diisopropylamine gives the same carbon count with the nitrogen shielded, and n-butylamine gives a primary amine that will react twice. Where a derivative has to dissolve in a hydrocarbon phase — a lubricant, an inhibitor film, a rubber compound — di-n-butylamine is usually the one that works.

Industries We Supply DBA To

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

Where DBA is Used

Di-n-butylamine is an oil-phase workhorse. These are the end uses our customers buy it for, roughly in order of volume.

In rubber chemical production

Di-n-butylamine and carbon disulphide give dibutyl dithiocarbamate, isolated as the zinc or sodium salt. These are ultra-accelerators — they cure fast at relatively low temperature, which suits latex dipping and thin-walled goods — and they double as metal-deactivating antioxidants. The chemistry is unforgiving of n-butylamine carry-over, since a primary amine gives a different dithiocarbamate with different cure behaviour and a bridged by-product alongside it.

In oilfield and refinery corrosion inhibition

This is where the butyl chains earn their keep. Mannich condensation and amide formation install the dibutylamino group in film-forming inhibitors that have to dissolve in a hydrocarbon phase and anchor at a steel surface. A shorter-chain amine gives a molecule that stays in the water and never reaches the metal. Blenders care more about consistency, colour and water content than about the last tenth of a percent of assay.

In mineral flotation

Dibutyl dithiocarbamate salts are effective collectors for sulphide minerals, and dibutylamine-derived cationic surfactants serve in oxide and silicate flotation. Selectivity between target and gangue depends on the length and shape of the hydrocarbon tail, so reagent blenders generally care more about batch-to-batch consistency than about absolute purity — a circuit is tuned to a particular reagent behaviour.

In lubricant additive chemistry

Oil solubility is the entry requirement for any lubricant additive, and two butyl chains provide it. Di-n-butylamine appears in antiwear, antioxidant and dispersant intermediates, and its low volatility means the resulting additive stays in the oil rather than evaporating out of a hot sump.

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-, di- and tri-n-butylamine and quantifies residual ammonia and butanol in one run.
• Colour — APHA / Hazen against a standard. This product yellows on long air exposure more visibly than the lighter amines, and the colour carries into lubricant and specialty products.
• Water content — Karl Fischer titration, which matters in isocyanate and acid-chloride chemistry.
• Distillation range — a fast, revealing check. A broadened range usually signals mono or tri amine carry-over before any instrument confirms it.
• Metals — iron in particular, since it catalyses discolouration and is undesirable in lubricant and flotation service.
• Non-volatile residue — evaporation residue, a quick check for carry-over of heavies from the column train.

Common Process Problems & Likely Causes

When di-n-butylamine 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. 180 kg net in lined steel or HDPE drums, with 1000 L IBCs for larger users.
• Bulk packing. Road tankers and ISO tank containers for continuous processes.
• Inert blanketing. Nitrogen-blanketed at fill where colour matters. This product discolours on long air exposure more visibly than the lighter amines.
• Storage. Cool, dry, 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.
• Easier handling class. With a boiling point near 159 °C and a flash point above ambient, there is no pressure build-up and no flammable headspace in ordinary storage — a genuinely more comfortable product to handle than the volatile butylamines, though still corrosive.
• Transport classification. UN 2248, Di-n-butylamine, Class 8 corrosive with subsidiary risk 3 flammable, Packing Group II — note the class order is the reverse of the lighter amines, which ship as Class 3 with a corrosive subsidiary.
• Container loading. Palletised and secured for FCL; LCL consolidation and tank arrangements available by volume.

Hazards & Safe Handling

Di-n-butylamine is corrosive and combustible, 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 under local exhaust ventilation or in a closed system. Vapour pressure is low at ambient, so the inhalation risk is lower than with the volatile amines — but skin contact is the dominant exposure route and it matters more here.
• PPE. Chemical-resistant gloves, chemical goggles and face shield, chemical-resistant clothing. Skin protection is the priority with this product.
• Skin absorption. Di-n-butylamine is classified as toxic in contact with skin in most systems. Splash protection is not optional, and contaminated clothing should be removed immediately rather than at the end of the task.
• Ignition control. Combustible rather than extremely flammable, but the flash point is only a little above ambient. Keep away from heat and ignition sources, particularly where the product is warmed in process.
• Incompatibilities. Strong oxidising agents, strong acids, acid chlorides, nitrites, mercury, and copper, brass, bronze and aluminium equipment.
• Spill response. Contain, absorb with inert non-combustible material and collect in a labelled closed container. Ventilate. Do not wash to drain.
• Fire. Use alcohol-resistant foam, dry chemical or carbon dioxide; cool exposed containers with water spray. Decomposition releases nitrogen oxides — use self-contained breathing apparatus.
• First aid. Remove contaminated clothing immediately, wash skin with plenty of water, flush eyes for at least 15 minutes, move to fresh air, and seek medical attention with the SDS to hand.

Regulatory & Compliance Notes

Di-n-butylamine 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.
• Nitrosamine awareness. Secondary amines can form nitrosamines in the presence of nitrosating agents. Where your process or product could bring the two together, build that into your risk assessment and keep nitrite sources out of the handling area. This is a standing consideration for every secondary amine, not a property of any particular lot.
• 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 2248, Di-n-butylamine, Class 8 corrosive with subsidiary risk 3, Packing Group II. Note that the primary class differs from the lighter amines. Declarations prepared for IMDG (sea) or IATA (air) as appropriate.
• Workplace exposure. Occupational exposure limits apply in most jurisdictions, and dermal exposure is often the governing route for this product. Set controls against both the inhalation limit and the skin notation where one applies.

We Supply DBA Worldwide

Chelora Chemicals is a supplier and export partner, not a single-plant trader. We ship Di-n-butylamine 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 DBA from Chelora

We are an independent sourcing and supply partner. For di-n-butylamine that means matching the grade to the application — a low-mono-amine cut for dithiocarbamate work, a colour-controlled nitrogen-blanketed fill for lubricant and specialty 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 180 kg drum through to tank loads and ongoing 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 amine distribution, colour control or materials compatibility.
• Related intermediates. n-Butylamine, diethylamine, diisopropylamine, octylamine and the wider 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 di-n-butylamine 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.