Diethylenetriamine (DETA) CAS 111-40-0

What is Diethylenetriamine (DETA)?

Diethylenetriamine is the second rung of the ethyleneamine ladder — three nitrogens joined by two ethylene bridges, (H₂NCH₂CH₂)₂NH. Two primary amines at the ends and one secondary amine in the middle give five active amine hydrogens, which is a great deal of crosslinking capability in a small molecule.

It is a clear, colourless to pale-yellow liquid boiling at about 207 °C with a strong ammoniacal odour and a flash point near 98 °C. That high flash point puts it in a comfortable handling class — combustible rather than flammable — and distinguishes it sharply from EDA, which flashes at 34 °C.

It is fully miscible with water, strongly hygroscopic, and like all the ethyleneamines it absorbs carbon dioxide from air and darkens on exposure. Three basic nitrogens with two-carbon spacing make it an effective chelator as well as a reactive amine.

Commercially, DETA is above all an epoxy curing agent, and it is probably the most widely used amine hardener in the world for ambient-cure systems. Beyond that it is the feedstock for DTPA chelants, a building block for lubricant and fuel additives, the amine behind paper wet-strength resins, and an intermediate for imidazolines, asphalt additives and corrosion inhibitors.

Why diethylenetriamine specifically

• Five active hydrogens. High crosslink functionality per unit weight, which gives a dense cured network at a low hardener loading.
• Fast ambient cure. The two primary amines react readily without heat, which is why DETA dominates ambient-cure adhesive and general-purpose epoxy systems.
• Comfortable handling class. A flash point near 98 °C means no flammable headspace at ambient — a real operational advantage over EDA.
• Three chelating nitrogens. Carboxymethylated it gives DTPA, a chelant with more binding sites than EDTA and better performance on iron and manganese at high pH.

How DETA is Manufactured

Diethylenetriamine is produced as a co-product of ethylenediamine manufacture on the same ethyleneamine plant. It is not made on dedicated capacity.

• Ethyleneamine synthesis. Either ethylene dichloride is reacted with ammonia under pressure, or monoethanolamine is aminated with ammonia and hydrogen over a supported metal catalyst. Both produce a spectrum of linear and cyclic ethyleneamines.
• Where DETA arises. DETA is formed when a second ethylene unit is added to an ethylenediamine chain rather than the chain terminating. Catalyst and ammonia ratio shift the distribution between EDA, DETA and the higher amines.
• Cyclic by-products. The same conditions that extend the chain also let it close on itself, giving piperazine and aminoethylpiperazine. These are close-boiling and are the impurities that matter in DETA.
• Separation. The mixture is resolved by distillation, largely under vacuum at the higher boiling points. Column performance sets the cyclic amine carry-over and the colour.

Typical Commercial Specification

Figures below are representative of standard commercial grade. Epoxy-hardener and chelant-grade material with tighter cyclic amine and colour limits is available — send us the specification you work to and we will quote against it.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Reactivity in practice

Five active hydrogens across three nitrogens of differing reactivity. That gradient is what formulators exploit:

• Epoxide ring opening. Each active hydrogen opens an epoxide ring, so one DETA molecule can crosslink up to five epoxy groups into a dense ambient-cured network.
• Chelant synthesis. Carboxymethylating all three nitrogens gives DTPA, which offers eight coordination points against EDTA's six and binds iron and manganese better at high pH.
• Imidazoline and amide formation. Condensation with fatty acids gives amides and, with ring closure, imidazolines used in softeners, asphalt additives and corrosion inhibitors.
• Succinimide formation. Reaction with alkenyl succinic anhydride gives the succinimide dispersants that keep soot and sludge suspended in engine oil.

DETA vs EDA, TETA and TEPA

The ethyleneamines form a ladder: each step adds one more ethylene bridge and one more nitrogen. Going up it, the boiling point and viscosity rise steeply, the number of active amine hydrogens increases, and — importantly — the product stops being a single compound and becomes a distribution of linear, branched and cyclic isomers. They all come off the same plant and move together on availability.

Stated plainly: EDA and DETA are genuine single compounds; TETA and TEPA as sold are distributions of isomers with a nominal name, and the linear content is what a formulator actually pays for. Going up the ladder, each additional nitrogen adds crosslink functionality and basicity while raising viscosity and lowering volatility — so a lower member cures faster and smells more, and a higher one builds a denser network and stays where it is put. Substituting across the ladder is always a reformulation.

Industries We Supply DETA To

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

Where DETA is Used

DETA is probably the most widely used amine epoxy hardener in the world, with several substantial markets beside it. These are the end uses our customers buy it for.

As an epoxy curing agent

DETA's position here is hard to overstate — it is the default ambient-cure amine hardener across adhesives, protective coatings, flooring and general-purpose laminating. Five active hydrogens give a high crosslink density at a low hardener loading, and the two primary amines react readily without heat. The limitations are equally well known: a short pot life, a strong odour, a tendency to blush in cool humid conditions, and a brittle network unless modified. In practice most commercial hardeners are DETA adducts or blends rather than neat DETA, precisely to manage those.

In DTPA chelant manufacture

Carboxymethylating DETA's three nitrogens gives diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, which wraps a metal ion in eight coordination points against EDTA's six. The practical consequence is better binding of iron and manganese, and better performance at high pH where EDTA starts to lose hold. That makes DTPA the chelant of choice in pulp bleaching, where transition metals catalyse peroxide decomposition, and in high-alkalinity cleaning and micronutrient formulations.

In lubricant dispersants

Reacting DETA with a polyisobutylene-substituted succinic anhydride gives a succinimide: an oil-soluble polymer tail attached to a polar amine head. In an engine oil the head adsorbs onto soot and oxidation products and the tail keeps them dispersed in the oil rather than settling as sludge. Succinimide dispersants are among the highest-volume lubricant additives in the world, and DETA and the higher ethyleneamines are the standard amines for making them.

In paper wet-strength resins

Condensing DETA with adipic acid gives a polyamide-amine, which is then reacted with epichlorohydrin to give a cationic resin that bonds to cellulose and crosslinks as the sheet dries. The result is paper that retains strength when wet — essential for kitchen towel, packaging and many tissue grades. It is a large and steady outlet, and one where colour on the incoming amine is a real specification.

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.

• Amine value and AHEW — titration. Epoxy formulators derive the amine hydrogen equivalent weight from this and mix against it, so it should be agreed before assay is discussed.
• Ethyleneamine distribution — gas chromatography quantifying aminoethylpiperazine, piperazine and EDA. The cyclic amines are what move the AHEW.
• Colour — APHA / Hazen against a standard. The ethyleneamines darken readily on air contact and colour carries into wet-strength resins and coatings.
• Water content — Karl Fischer titration. DETA is strongly hygroscopic and also takes up carbon dioxide, so an open drum drifts on two fronts.
• Specific gravity and viscosity — quick practical checks correlating with water and heavies content.
• Metals and residue — iron and evaporation residue, both relevant in chelant and resin service.

Common Process Problems & Likely Causes

When DETA 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. 200 kg net in lined steel or HDPE drums, with 1000 L IBCs for larger users.
• Bulk packing. Road tankers and ISO tank containers for epoxy, chelant and lubricant additive producers.
• Carbon dioxide exclusion. DETA absorbs carbon dioxide from air, which consumes amine functionality and lowers the effective AHEW. Keep containers sealed and blanket bulk storage — this is a yield issue, not only a colour one.
• Comfortable handling class. A flash point near 98 °C means no flammable headspace at ambient and no pressure in storage. It remains corrosive and a sensitiser, so PPE requirements are unchanged.
• Inert blanketing. Nitrogen-blanketed at fill where colour matters. The ethyleneamines darken on air contact more readily than most amines, and they also absorb carbon dioxide to form carbamate.
• Materials of construction. Stainless steel or suitable lined vessels. Avoid copper, brass, bronze, aluminium and mercury.
• Shelf life. Typically 12 months in unopened original packing under those conditions. Beyond that, re-test rather than assume.
• Transport classification. UN 2079, Diethylenetriamine, Class 8 corrosive, Packing Group II — shipped with full dangerous-goods documentation.

Hazards & Safe Handling

Diethylenetriamine is corrosive and a skin and respiratory sensitiser. 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.

• Sensitisation. The ethyleneamines are recognised skin sensitisers, and several are respiratory sensitisers as well. Once a worker is sensitised, exposures previously tolerated can provoke a reaction, so preventing first contact matters far more than managing repeat contact. This is the dominant occupational concern across this whole family.
• Exposure control. Handle in a closed system or under local exhaust ventilation. Where the material is warmed or sprayed, vapour and mist exposure rise sharply and need their own controls.
• 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.
• Mixed-system handling. In a two-part epoxy system the uncured mixture carries the hazards of both hardener and resin. Applicators handling mixed material need controls for both, which is often where site assessments fall short.
• Incompatibilities. Strong oxidising agents, strong acids, acid chlorides, nitrites and isocyanates — the amine-isocyanate reaction is violently exothermic. Also copper, brass, bronze and aluminium.
• Spill response. Contain, absorb with inert non-combustible material and collect in a labelled closed container. Ventilate. Do not wash to drain.
• 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 or breathing reaction, which may indicate developing sensitisation.

Regulatory & Compliance Notes

Diethylenetriamine is a long-established industrial chemical listed on the major national inventories, with a sensitiser classification that gives it a heavier occupational profile than its hazard statements alone suggest. 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.
• 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.
• Sensitiser labelling and training. As a skin and respiratory sensitiser, DETA triggers specific labelling and, in several jurisdictions, training and health surveillance obligations for workers handling epoxy systems. These apply to applicators downstream as well as to the formulator.
• Water-contact and food-contact coatings. Where a cured DETA system will contact drinking water or food, the finished coating usually needs approval under the relevant scheme at destination. Approval attaches to the cured system, not to the hardener.
• Family supply dynamics. DETA is a co-product of ethylenediamine manufacture, so availability moves with EDA, TETA, TEPA and piperazine rather than product by product.
• Dangerous goods. UN 2079, Diethylenetriamine, Class 8 corrosive, Packing Group II. Declarations prepared for IMDG (sea) or IATA (air) as appropriate.

We Supply DETA Worldwide

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

We are an independent sourcing and supply partner. For DETA that means agreeing the amine value and the cyclic amine limits before quoting, because those two figures — not the assay — are what an epoxy formulator actually feels in the cured network.

• Documentation on every lot. Batch-specific COA including amine value and distribution, current SDS and TDS.
• Samples before commitment. Trial quantities for formulation qualification ahead of a commercial order.
• Quantities. From a single 200 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 AHEW, blush control or cyclic amine content.
• Related intermediates. EDA, TETA, TEPA, piperazine, AEEA, IPDA and the wider epoxy hardener 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 & Epoxy Hardeners

Buyers of DETA 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.