chemistry

N-Butylamine

N-Butylamine is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand N-Butylamine rather than just read about it. In short: n-Butylamine is an organic compound (specifically, an amine) with the formula CH3(CH2)3NH2. This colourless liquid is one of the four isomeric amines of butane, the others being sec-butylamine, tert-butylamine, and isobutylamine.

Key takeaways

N-Butylamine belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect N-Butylamine to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of N-Butylamine from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

n-Butylamine is an organic compound (specifically, an amine) with the formula CH3(CH2)3NH2. This colourless liquid is one of the four isomeric amines of butane, the others being sec-butylamine, tert-butylamine, and isobutylamine. It is a liquid having the fishy, ammonia-like odor common to amines. The liquid acquires a yellow color upon storage in air. It is soluble in all organic solvents. Its vapours are heavier than air and it produces toxic oxides of nitrogen during combustion.

Synthesis and reactions It is produced by the reaction of ammonia and alcohols over alumina:

CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 3 OH + NH 3 ⟶ CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 3 NH 2 + H 2 O {\displaystyle {\ce {CH3(CH2)3OH + NH3 -> CH3(CH2)3NH2 + H2O}}}

n-Butylamine is a weak base. The pKa of [CH3(CH2)3NH3]+ is 10.78. n-Butylamine exhibits reactions typical of other simple alkyl amines, i.e., alkylation, acylation, condensation with carbonyls. It forms complexes with metal ions, examples being cis- and trans-[PtI2(NH2Bu)2].

Uses

This compound is used as an ingredient in the manufacture of pesticides (such as thiocarbazides), pharmaceuticals, and emulsifiers. It is also a precursor for the manufacture of N,N′-dibutylthiourea, a rubber vulcanization accelerator, and n-butylbenzenesulfonamide, a plasticizer of nylon. It is used in the synthesis of fengabine, the fungicide benomyl, and butamoxane, and the antidiabetic tolbutamide.

Safety The LD50 to rats through the oral exposure route is 366 mg/kg. In regards to occupational exposures to n-butylamine, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have set occupational exposure limits at a ceiling of 5 ppm (15 mg/m3) for dermal exposure.

References

External links Media related to N-Butylamine at Wikimedia Commons

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with N-Butylamine

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what N-Butylamine claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to N-Butylamine before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about N-Butylamine ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of N-Butylamine

In research: N-Butylamine appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses N-Butylamine in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: N-Butylamine is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Alkylamines, Butyl compounds, Foul-smelling chemicals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for N-Butylamine outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study N-Butylamine in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what N-Butylamine means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain N-Butylamine out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is N-Butylamine in simple terms?

Why does N-Butylamine matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study N-Butylamine?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on N-Butylamine.