Specialty amines and ethanolamines: Characteristics
Why trace impurities matter so much to drug makers
What this tab covers The physical and chemical properties that set its grade, price and uses, with the commercial grades and the standards that define them.Commercial specs are purity, water content, colour and trace impurities such as other amines or nitrosamine precursors. Pharma customers need low impurity and full traceability; gas-treating customers care about degradation resistance.
Properties that matter commercially
| Property | Value / specification | Why it matters | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purity | anhydrous methylamines at least 99.5%; aqueous MMA 40% (indicative) | reaction yield and impurity control in APIs | producer specifications (indicative) |
| Boiling point | MMA about -6 C, DMA about 7 C, TMA about 3 C (indicative) | stored and shipped as pressurised liquids or water solutions | CRC Handbook (indicative) |
| CO2 absorption | MEA 30% solution, about 3.5 GJ heat per t CO2 for regeneration in modern plants (indicative) | sets energy cost of carbon capture | IEAGHG (indicative) |
| Colour (APHA) | below about 15-20 APHA for ethanolamines (indicative) | cosmetics and detergent quality | indicative |
Commercial grades
- Anhydrous and aqueous methylamines
- Pharma grade alkylamines
- Low-freeze and gas-treating grades of MEA, DEA, MDEA
- Cosmetic grade TEA (85% and 99%)
- Cement grinding aid blends