Ethylenediamine (EDA) CAS 107-15-3

What is Ethylenediamine (EDA)?

Ethylenediamine is the first and simplest ethyleneamine — two primary amines joined by a two-carbon bridge, H₂NCH₂CH₂NH₂. Four active amine hydrogens on a very small molecule makes it unusually functional for its size, and the two-carbon spacing is exactly right for chelating a metal ion through both nitrogens at once.

It is a clear, colourless liquid boiling at about 116 °C with a strong ammoniacal odour, freezing near 8 °C and a flash point around 34 °C. It is fully miscible with water, strongly hygroscopic, and absorbs carbon dioxide from air readily to form a solid carbamate — which is why an open drum crusts around the closure.

The chelating geometry is the key to its largest market. Two nitrogens two carbons apart form a stable five-membered ring with a metal ion, and building four acetic acid arms onto those nitrogens gives EDTA — the most widely used synthetic chelating agent in the world.

Beyond chelants, EDA is the amine half of the ethylenebisdithiocarbamate fungicides used across global agriculture, the backbone of the bleach activator in most European laundry powders, and a building block for epoxy hardeners, polyamide resins, fabric softeners, corrosion inhibitors and pharmaceutical intermediates.

Why ethylenediamine specifically

• Ideal chelating geometry. Two nitrogens separated by two carbons form a stable five-membered chelate ring with a metal ion. Longer or shorter spacing binds far less strongly, which is why EDTA has no serious structural rival.
• Four active hydrogens on a tiny molecule. Very high functionality per unit weight, which matters in crosslinking and in building multi-armed derivatives.
• Two identical primary amines. Symmetrical, so reactions give clean products rather than isomer mixtures.
• Upstream of the whole ethyleneamine family. The higher ethyleneamines are built on the same ethylene bridge, so EDA availability signals the family's.

How EDA is Manufactured

Ethylenediamine is made by two quite different industrial routes, and they leave different signatures on the product. Both also produce the higher ethyleneamines as co-products.

• Ethylene dichloride route. Ethylene dichloride is reacted with excess ammonia under pressure. The chloride is displaced and the resulting amine hydrochloride is neutralised with caustic. This route is older and produces a salt by-product stream, and residual chloride is its characteristic trace.
• Ethanolamine route. Monoethanolamine is aminated with ammonia and hydrogen over a supported metal catalyst. This is the cleaner modern route — no chloride, no salt stream — and it is why chelant-grade and low-chloride material generally comes from this process.
• Co-product formation. Both routes produce DETA, TETA, piperazine and the higher ethyleneamines alongside EDA. The distribution is set by ammonia ratio and catalyst, and producers swing between products rather than making one exclusively.
• Separation. The mixture is resolved by distillation, partly under vacuum. EDA forms an azeotrope with water, so drying to a low-water specification is a separate operation.

Typical Commercial Specification

Figures below are representative of standard commercial grade. Chelant-grade, low-chloride and low-colour material is available — send us the specification you work to and we will quote against it.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Reactivity in practice

Two primary amines two carbons apart. That geometry, and the four hydrogens it carries, define everything:

• Chelate formation. The two nitrogens bind a metal ion simultaneously to form a stable five-membered ring. Carboxymethylating them gives EDTA and the wider aminopolycarboxylate chelant family.
• Dithiocarbamate formation. With carbon disulphide and a metal base it gives ethylenebisdithiocarbamates — the manganese and zinc salts of which are major protectant fungicides.
• Acylation and cyclisation. Reaction with acetic anhydride gives the tetraacetyl derivative used as a bleach activator; with other partners it closes to imidazolines and related heterocycles.
• Epoxy curing and polyamide formation. Four active hydrogens crosslink epoxy resin; condensation with dibasic and dimer acids gives polyamide resins.

EDA vs DETA, 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 EDA To

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

Where EDA is Used

EDA is a genuine platform chemical with several large and unrelated markets. These are the end uses our customers buy it for, roughly in order of volume.

In chelating agent manufacture

This is the largest outlet and the clearest demonstration of why EDA's geometry matters. Two nitrogens separated by two carbons can both bind to a single metal ion, forming a stable five-membered ring — a geometry that longer or shorter spacing does not achieve nearly as well. Adding four acetic acid arms gives EDTA, which wraps a metal ion in six coordination points and holds it in solution across a wide pH range. EDTA and its relatives appear in detergents, textile processing, photographic chemistry, agriculture and industrial cleaning. Chelant producers care about chloride and about the ethyleneamine distribution more than about the headline assay.

In fungicide manufacture

EDA reacted with carbon disulphide gives ethylenebisdithiocarbamate, isolated as the manganese, zinc or mixed salt. These are protectant fungicides used at large scale across potato, vine, vegetable and fruit crops worldwide, valued because their multi-site mode of action makes resistance development slow. Plants running these actives specify consistency of the amine distribution, since DETA and piperazine carry-over give structurally different dithiocarbamates.

In bleach activators

Acetylating all four amine hydrogens gives tetraacetylethylenediamine, the compound that makes low-temperature oxygen bleaching work. Percarbonate and perborate bleaches release hydrogen peroxide, which is only effective at high wash temperatures; the activator reacts with it to generate peracetic acid in situ, which bleaches effectively at 30 or 40 degrees. It is a quietly significant chemical in domestic laundry across Europe.

In epoxy and polyamide chemistry

Four active hydrogens on a small molecule make EDA a high-functionality, fast curing agent — quick ambient cure and a high crosslink density, at the cost of a short pot life, a strong odour and a tendency to blush. In practice it is more often used as a building block for modified hardeners and polyamide resins than neat, with DETA and TETA taking the direct curing agent role.

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 DETA, piperazine, AEEA and the other close relatives.
• Chloride — ion chromatography. Route-dependent and critical in chelant and high-purity service.
• Total amine value — titration, the figure formulators charge against.
• Water content — Karl Fischer titration. EDA is strongly hygroscopic and also absorbs carbon dioxide, so an open drum drifts on two fronts.
• Colour — APHA / Hazen against a standard. The ethyleneamines darken readily on air contact.
• Freezing point — a quick practical check correlating with water and cross-contamination.

Common Process Problems & Likely Causes

When EDA 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 chelant, fungicide and detergent producers.
• Cold weather handling. The freezing point is near 8 °C, so drums can solidify or go slushy in winter transit. Warm gently and homogenise before use.
• Carbon dioxide exclusion. EDA absorbs carbon dioxide from air to form a solid carbamate, which crusts around closures and consumes amine functionality. Keep containers sealed and blanket bulk storage — this is not just a colour issue.
• 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.
• Fire precautions. The flash point is near 34 °C, so a warm store or heated transfer can bring the headspace into the flammable range. Classify the zone accordingly.
• Transport classification. UN 1604, Ethylenediamine, Class 8 corrosive with subsidiary risk 3 flammable, Packing Group II — shipped with full dangerous-goods documentation.

Hazards & Safe Handling

Ethylenediamine is corrosive, flammable 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

Ethylenediamine is a long-established industrial chemical listed on the major national inventories, but its respiratory sensitiser classification gives it a heavier occupational profile than most amines of its size. 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.
• Respiratory sensitiser classification. Classified as a respiratory sensitiser, which triggers specific labelling and, in several jurisdictions, exposure control and health surveillance obligations for exposed workers. These apply downstream as well as at the formulator.
• Agrochemical end use. Where the material feeds a registered fungicide active, the destination authority will generally require traceability on the intermediate. Keep the batch COA with your production records.
• Family supply dynamics. EDA comes out of the ethyleneamine train with DETA, TETA, TEPA and piperazine, so availability moves across the family rather than product by product.
• Dangerous goods. UN 1604, Ethylenediamine, Class 8 with subsidiary risk 3, Packing Group II. Declarations prepared for IMDG (sea) or IATA (air) as appropriate.

We Supply EDA Worldwide

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

We are an independent sourcing and supply partner. For EDA that means establishing the production route before quoting, because chloride content follows directly from it — and in chelant and high-purity service that single figure can decide whether a lot is usable.

• Documentation on every lot. Batch-specific COA including chloride and distribution, current SDS and TDS.
• Samples before commitment. Trial quantities for process qualification ahead of a commercial order.
• Quantities. From a single 180 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 production route, amine value or carbamate formation.
• Related intermediates. DETA, TETA, TEPA, piperazine, AEEA 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 & Intermediates

Buyers of EDA 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.