Octylamine CAS 111-86-4

What is Octylamine?

Octylamine is the eight-carbon straight-chain primary amine, C₈H₁₇NH₂. It is the point in the aliphatic amine series where the molecule stops behaving as a base with a tail and starts behaving as a surfactant with an amine group.

It is a clear, colourless to pale-yellow liquid boiling at about 177 °C, with a characteristic fatty, fishy, ammoniacal odour. The flash point is around 60 °C, which puts it in a genuinely comfortable handling class — combustible rather than flammable, with no flammable headspace anywhere near room temperature.

It is effectively insoluble in water and fully miscible with hydrocarbons and most organic solvents. That partitioning is the entire commercial point: an octylamine derivative goes into the oil phase and stays there, which is what a filming corrosion inhibitor, a lubricant additive or a flotation collector needs to do.

Commercially, octylamine is an oil-phase additive intermediate. Its main outlets are corrosion inhibitors — including filming amines for boiler and condensate systems — mineral flotation collectors, lubricant and fuel additives, emulsifiers and bitumen adhesion promoters, with further use in agrochemical and rubber chemistry.

Why octylamine specifically

• Oil phase by default. Effectively insoluble in water and fully miscible with hydrocarbons, so derivatives dose into oil and stay there rather than partitioning into any water present.
• Strong interfacial adsorption. The C8 tail adsorbs firmly at metal and mineral surfaces, which is what makes filming inhibitors film and flotation collectors collect.
• Comfortable handling class. A flash point near 60 °C and a 177 °C boiling point mean no pressure, no flammable headspace and ordinary drum handling — unusual among reactive amines.
• Two reactive N-H bonds. It forms amides, imidazolines, ethoxylates and quaternaries while retaining the chemistry a primary amine allows, which the dialkylamines cannot.

How OA is Manufactured

Octylamine is made from octanol or octanal by catalytic amination, and in some plants from the corresponding nitrile by hydrogenation. The fatty-amine routes used for the longer chains apply here too.

• Amination or reductive amination. n-Octanol or octanal is reacted with ammonia and hydrogen over a supported metal catalyst at elevated temperature and pressure, giving an equilibrium mixture of mono-, di- and trioctylamine.
• Nitrile route. An alternative passes through the corresponding nitrile, which is hydrogenated over a nickel or cobalt catalyst in the presence of ammonia. Ammonia suppresses the secondary amine formation that otherwise dominates nitrile hydrogenation.
• Ratio control and recycle. A high ammonia-to-substrate ratio pushes the distribution toward the mono amine, and dioctylamine is recycled or taken off as a co-product.
• Separation and finishing. The mono cut is separated by fractional distillation, usually under reduced pressure to protect colour at these boiling points, then filled into drums, IBCs or tanks with nitrogen blanketing where colour matters.

Typical Commercial Specification

Figures below are representative of standard commercial grade. Tighter flotation and lubricant-additive grades with lower colour and secondary amine are available — send us the specification you work to and we will quote against it.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Reactivity in practice

The nitrogen behaves as an ordinary reactive primary amine; the C8 tail decides where the product ends up. Four reaction types cover nearly all of its use:

• Amide and imidazoline formation. Reaction with fatty acids gives amides, and with polyamines or under cyclising conditions gives imidazolines — the backbone of film-forming corrosion inhibitors.
• Ethoxylation. Reaction with ethylene oxide gives amine ethoxylates: nonionic surfactants, emulsifiers and antistatic agents with a C8 hydrophobe.
• Salt formation and quaternisation. Acid salts serve directly as flotation collectors and bitumen adhesion promoters; quaternisation gives cationic surfactants and biocides.
• Dithiocarbamate and xanthate chemistry. With carbon disulphide it gives collectors for sulphide mineral flotation and additives for rubber and lubricants.

Octylamine in the Straight-Chain Amine Series

Straight-chain primary amines form a continuous series, and moving up it changes behaviour predictably: the boiling point rises, water solubility falls away, the flash point climbs out of the flammable range, and the molecule starts to behave less like a base and more like a surfactant. Choosing between them is almost always a question of where on that curve your application sits.

Stated plainly: below about six carbons an aliphatic amine is a base that happens to have a tail; above about eight it is a surfactant that happens to have an amine group. Hexylamine sits on the boundary, which is exactly why it turns up where a formulator needs some water compatibility and some oil compatibility at once. Substituting across this series changes partitioning, foaming, adsorption and volatility all at the same time, so it is never a like-for-like swap.

Industries We Supply OA To

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

Where OA is Used

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

In corrosion inhibition

This is the dominant outlet. A film-forming inhibitor has to dissolve in the hydrocarbon phase, migrate to the steel surface and adsorb there strongly enough to resist being washed off. Octylamine-derived amides and imidazolines do all three: the amine head binds to the metal and the C8 tail points into the oil, forming a monolayer that keeps water and acid gases away from the surface. A shorter-chain amine partitions into any water present and never reaches the metal, which is the whole reason the C8 chain is specified.

In mineral flotation

Amine collectors adsorb onto a mineral surface and render it hydrophobic enough to attach to an air bubble. The C8 chain gives strong collection in oxide and silicate circuits, and octylamine salts and ethoxylates appear widely in reagent packages. Because a flotation plant is tuned to a particular reagent behaviour, batch-to-batch consistency of chain distribution and primary amine content matters more than absolute purity.

In lubricant and fuel additives

Oil solubility is the entry requirement for any additive that has to survive in a sump or a fuel tank, and the C8 chain provides it comfortably. Octylamine appears in antiwear, antioxidant, dispersant and detergent intermediates, and its low volatility means the finished additive stays in the oil rather than evaporating out of a hot engine.

In steam and condensate treatment

Filming amines protect condensate return lines by laying a thin hydrophobic layer on the pipe wall, which is a different mechanism from the neutralising amines that simply raise condensate pH. Octylamine derivatives serve in these packages. Note that where steam contacts food or feed, the treatment chemicals have to be approved for that service at destination — confirm the position before specifying.

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 — total, primary, secondary and tertiary amine value by titration. This is the figure formulators actually charge against, and it should be agreed before assay is discussed.
• Chain distribution — gas chromatography quantifying mono-, di- and trioctylamine and the adjacent chain lengths, which drive adsorption behaviour.
• Colour — APHA / Hazen against a standard. The longer-chain amines discolour readily if distillation or storage runs hot, and the colour carries into finished formulations.
• Water content — Karl Fischer titration, which matters in amide and imidazoline condensation.
• Iodine value, where relevant — a check for unsaturation carried in from the feedstock, relevant where oxidative stability matters.
• Metals and residue — iron and evaporation residue, both of which matter in lubricant and flotation service.

Common Process Problems & Likely Causes

When octylamine 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 heated ISO tank containers for continuous processes.
• Cold weather handling. The melting point sits near 0 °C, so drums can solidify in winter transit or cold storage. Warm gently and homogenise before use — this is normal behaviour, not degradation.
• Inert blanketing. Nitrogen-blanketed at fill where colour matters. The longer-chain amines discolour readily on air exposure, particularly when warm.
• 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.
• Comfortable handling class. With a flash point near 60 °C and a 177 °C boiling point there is no flammable headspace at ambient and no pressure in storage. It remains corrosive and strongly surface-active, but the fire precautions are a tier below the lighter amines.
• Transport classification. Typically shipped under UN 2735, Amines, liquid, corrosive, n.o.s., Class 8. Confirm the entry and packing group against the current SDS and the shipper's declaration for your destination and mode.

Hazards & Safe Handling

Octylamine is corrosive and harmful, 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 very low at ambient, so skin and eye contact is overwhelmingly the dominant exposure route.
• PPE. Chemical-resistant gloves, chemical goggles and face shield, chemical-resistant clothing. Splash protection is the priority with this product.
• Warm handling. Where the material is warmed to keep it liquid or to speed transfer, vapour and mist exposure rise sharply and the flash point becomes relevant. Treat heated transfer as a different operation with its own controls.
• 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. The liquid is slippery and persistent on hard surfaces — clean thoroughly.
• Environment. Very toxic to aquatic life. Do not allow to enter drains, surface water or groundwater. Dispose through a licensed chemical waste contractor.
• Fire. Combustible. 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, and seek medical attention with the SDS to hand.

Regulatory & Compliance Notes

Octylamine is an 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.
• 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. Typically UN 2735, Amines, liquid, corrosive, n.o.s., Class 8. Because this is a generic entry, confirm the classification and packing group against the current SDS; declarations prepared for IMDG (sea) or IATA (air) as appropriate.
• Environmental classification. Classified as very toxic to aquatic life in most systems — a standing feature of the surface-active fatty amines. Effluent must be treated or consigned to licensed disposal, never discharged.
• Steam and food-contact service. Where derivatives are used in boiler or condensate treatment for steam that contacts food or feed, the treatment chemical has to be approved for that service at destination. Confirm the position before specifying.

We Supply OA Worldwide

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

We are an independent sourcing and supply partner. For octylamine that means agreeing the amine value and primary content before anything else, because those are the figures a formulator actually works from — assay alone tells you very little about how a lot will behave in an inhibitor package or a flotation circuit.

• 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. 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 value, chain distribution or cold-weather handling.
• Related intermediates. Hexylamine, dodecylamine, octadecylamine, oleylamine and the wider fatty 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 octylamine 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.