Diethylamine CAS 109-89-7

What is Diethylamine?

Diethylamine is the secondary amine of the ethyl series — two ethyl groups on nitrogen, (C₂H₅)₂NH. It is produced on the same plant as ethylamine and triethylamine and separated from them by distillation.

Unlike its mono and tri relatives, diethylamine is unambiguously a liquid at ordinary temperatures, boiling at about 56 °C. That one fact makes it far easier to handle than ethylamine: it ships in ordinary drums rather than pressure vessels, meters like a normal solvent and needs no pressure-rated storage. It is still extremely flammable, with a flash point around −23 °C, so the fire precautions are no lighter.

It is a clear, colourless liquid with a strong fishy, ammoniacal odour, miscible with water in all proportions and strongly basic. Standing in air it will slowly pick up carbon dioxide and discolour, which is why drums are kept closed and, for colour-sensitive uses, nitrogen-blanketed.

Commercially, diethylamine exists to install the N,N-diethyl group. That fragment is what makes zinc diethyldithiocarbamate a rubber accelerator, what sits at the amide end of the best-known insect repellent in the world, and what appears across a wide range of local anaesthetic, antiarrhythmic and antihistamine chemistry. One group, a great many products.

Why diethylamine specifically

• Installs the N,N-diethyl group. A single reactive N-H delivers a disubstituted nitrogen in one step, with no risk of the over-alkylation that dogs primary amines.
• Liquid at ambient temperature. Boiling at about 56 °C, it needs no pressure-rated storage or transfer equipment — a practical advantage over ethylamine that often decides which amine a plant designs around.
• Clean dithiocarbamate chemistry. Reaction with carbon disulphide is fast and quantitative, giving the diethyldithiocarbamate salts used as ultra-accelerators in rubber.
• Strong, moderately hindered base. Basic enough to act as an acid scavenger, but with one N-H still available for amide and sulphonamide formation — a combination triethylamine cannot offer.

How DEA is Manufactured

Diethylamine is made continuously by aminating ethanol with ammonia, on the same plant and column train that produces ethylamine and triethylamine. Supply and price of the three are therefore intrinsically linked.

• Amination. Ethanol and ammonia are passed over a solid acid or supported metal catalyst at elevated temperature and pressure, usually with hydrogen present. Water is eliminated and an equilibrium mixture of mono-, di- and triethylamine forms.
• Ratio control. A plant configured for diethylamine runs a lower ammonia-to-ethanol ratio than one making the mono amine, and recycles both the mono and tri cuts back to the reactor to shift the equilibrium toward the middle product.
• Separation. The crude mixture is resolved in a distillation train with ammonia recovery. Diethylamine boils comfortably clear of the other two, which makes it the easiest of the three to take to high purity.
• Finishing. The diethylamine cut is dried and taken to specification, then filled into drums, IBCs or tanks. Colour-sensitive grades are blanketed with nitrogen at fill.

Typical Commercial Specification

Figures below are representative of standard commercial grade. Tighter agrochemical and pharmaceutical grades with lower water and metals are available — send us the specification you work to and we will quote against it.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Reactivity in practice

With one replaceable N-H and a strongly basic nitrogen, diethylamine supports both substitution chemistry and base chemistry:

• Amide and sulphonamide formation. Reaction with acid chlorides, anhydrides or sulphonyl chlorides gives N,N-diethyl amides and sulphonamides — the motif behind the best-known insect repellent and a long list of pharmaceutical actives.
• Dithiocarbamate formation. With carbon disulphide and a base it gives diethyldithiocarbamate salts, used as ultra-fast vulcanisation accelerators and as analytical chelating agents.
• Mannich and aminomethylation chemistry. Condensation with formaldehyde and an active hydrogen compound installs the diethylaminomethyl group used in corrosion inhibitors and oilfield chemistry.
• Ethoxylation and salt formation. Reaction with ethylene oxide gives N,N-diethylethanolamine; with mineral acids it forms stable, low-odour salts convenient for handling.

Diethylamine vs Ethylamine vs Triethylamine

The three ethylamines come off the same reactor and are separated by distillation, so they are routinely quoted together. They are not interchangeable. The number of ethyl groups already on the nitrogen decides how many N-H bonds remain, and that decides what chemistry is available downstream — and how the molecule behaves in water.

Stated plainly: monoethylamine keeps two N-H bonds and builds amides, triazines and heterocycles; diethylamine keeps one and introduces the N,N-diethyl group found in dithiocarbamates and a long list of actives; triethylamine has none, so it is used as a base, a catalyst and a quaternising partner rather than as a building block. Water behaviour differs too — the first two are fully miscible, while triethylamine has only limited solubility at ordinary temperatures. Chelora supplies all three.

Industries We Supply DEA 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 DEA is Used

Diethylamine is a broad-use intermediate rather than a single-market product. These are the end uses our customers buy it for, roughly in order of volume.

In rubber chemical production

Diethylamine and carbon disulphide react cleanly to give diethyldithiocarbamate, isolated as the zinc, sodium or tellurium salt. These are ultra-accelerators: they cure very fast at relatively low temperature, which is exactly what latex dipping lines and thin-walled goods need. The chemistry is unforgiving of monoethylamine carry-over, since a primary amine gives a different dithiocarbamate with different cure behaviour.

In pharmaceutical and repellent chemistry

The N,N-diethylamide group is a recurring motif. It appears at the amide end of the dominant topical insect repellent, and across local anaesthetic and antiarrhythmic structures. These routes typically run through an acid chloride, so water content on the incoming amine is a live specification — every part of water consumes reagent and liberates acid that then has to be neutralised.

In corrosion inhibitor manufacture

Mannich condensation of diethylamine with formaldehyde and an active-hydrogen partner installs the diethylaminomethyl group found in film-forming inhibitors for oilfield and refinery service. Blenders here care more about consistency and colour than about the last tenth of a percent of assay.

As an acid scavenger

In fine chemical synthesis diethylamine is used stoichiometrically to absorb hydrogen chloride generated during acylation or sulphonylation. It is chosen over triethylamine where the resulting hydrochloride salt is easier to filter or where the remaining N-H is wanted for a subsequent step.

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 triethylamine and quantifies residual ammonia and ethanol in one run.
• Water content — Karl Fischer titration. Water is the specification that most often decides whether a lot performs in acid-chloride chemistry.
• Distillation range — a fast, revealing check. A broadened range usually signals amine carry-over before any instrument confirms it.
• Colour — APHA / Hazen against a standard. Colour drift usually signals air ingress, carbon dioxide pickup or metal contamination.
• Metals — iron in particular, since it catalyses discolouration and can poison downstream catalysts.
• Non-volatile residue — evaporation residue, a quick check for carry-over of heavies from the column train.

Common Process Problems & Likely Causes

When diethylamine 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. 170 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 the grade and end use call for it, to limit colour drift and carbon dioxide pickup in storage.
• Storage. Cool, shaded, well-ventilated area away from heat, ignition sources, oxidisers and acids, with containers kept tightly closed and bunded.
• 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.
• Transport classification. UN 1154, Diethylamine, Class 3 flammable liquid with subsidiary risk 8 corrosive, Packing Group II — shipped with full dangerous-goods documentation.
• Container loading. Palletised and secured for FCL; LCL consolidation and tank arrangements available by volume.

Hazards & Safe Handling

Diethylamine is extremely flammable and corrosive, 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 low flash point means the vapour space above the liquid is in the flammable range at ordinary temperatures.
• 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 to a distant ignition source and flash back. Bonded, earthed and explosion-proof equipment, and no ignition sources in the zone.
• 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.
• Environment. Do not allow to enter drains, surface water or groundwater. Dispose through a licensed chemical waste contractor.
• Fire. Extremely flammable. 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. 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

Diethylamine 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.
• 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 1154, Class 3 with subsidiary risk 8, Packing Group II. Declarations prepared for IMDG (sea) or IATA (air) as appropriate to the mode.
• 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 DEA Worldwide

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

We are an independent sourcing and supply partner. For diethylamine that means matching the grade to the application — a low-monoethylamine cut for dithiocarbamate and acylation work, a low-water grade for acid-chloride chemistry, a nitrogen-blanketed fill where colour matters — 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 170 kg drum through to tank loads and ongoing contract supply.
• Export experience. Dangerous-goods documentation, packing and labelling handled for sea and road freight to any destination.
• Technical support. Direct access to people who know the chemistry, for questions on amine distribution, colour control or materials compatibility.
• Related intermediates. Ethylamine, triethylamine, diisopropylamine, di-n-butylamine 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 diethylamine 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.