alkanolamine

Alkanolamines are organic compounds that contain both an alcohol functional group (hydroxyl, -OH) and an amine functional group (amino, -NH2, -NHR, or -NR2). They are also known as amino alcohols. The general structure can be represented as R-NH2-OH or R-OH-NH2, where R is an alkyl group. The properties of alkanolamines are a combination of those of alcohols and amines. They are typically soluble in water and polar organic solvents due to the presence of both hydroxyl and amino groups.

The simplest and most common alkanolamine is ethanolamine, also known as 2-aminoethanol. Other important alkanolamines include diethanolamine (DEA) and triethanolamine (TEA). These compounds are widely used in various industrial applications. For instance, they are employed as gas sweetening agents in the oil and gas industry to remove acidic gases like hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide from natural gas. They also find use as emulsifiers, dispersants, and corrosion inhibitors. In cosmetics and personal care products, alkanolamines like triethanolamine are used to adjust pH and as emulsifying agents in lotions and creams.

Alkanolamines can be synthesized through the reaction of ammonia or primary/secondary amines with epoxides, such as ethylene oxide. The reaction conditions, including temperature and pressure, influence the distribution of mono-, di-, and tri-substituted products. Their reactivity stems from the presence of both nucleophilic amino groups and the ability of the hydroxyl group to participate in esterification and etherification reactions.