Organic Chemistry, 7th Edition

L. G. Wade, Jr.

Chapter 19
Amines

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Biologically Active Amines

 The alkaloids are an important group of biologically

active amines, mostly synthesized by plants to
protect them from being eaten by insects and other
animals.
 Many drugs of addiction are classified as alkaloids.
Chapter 19 2
 Biological Activity of Amines

 Dopamine is a neurotransmitter.
 Epinephrine is a bioregulator.
 Niacin, Vitamin B6, is an amine.
 Alkaloids: nicotine, morphine, cocaine
 Amino acids

Chapter 19 3
 Classes of Amines
 Primary (1° ): Has one alkyl group
bonded to the nitrogen (RNH2).
 Secondary (2° ): Has two alkyl groups
bonded to the nitrogen (R2NH).
 Tertiary (3° ): Has three alkyl groups
bonded to the nitrogen (R3N).
 Quaternary (4° ): Has four alkyl groups
bonded to the nitrogen and the nitrogen
bears a positive charge(R4N+).
Chapter 19 4
 Examples of Amines

NH2 N N
H CH3

Primary Secondary Tertiary

(1º) (2º) (3º)

Chapter 19 5
Common Names

Chapter 19 6
 Amine as Substituent

 On a molecule with a higher priority functional

group, the amine is named as a substituent.

Chapter 19 7
 IUPAC Names
 Name is based on longest carbon
chain.
 -e of alkane is replaced with -amine.
 Substituents on nitrogen have N- prefix.
Br N(CH3)2
NH2CH2CH2CHCH2CH3 CH3CH2CHCH2CH2CH3
3-bromo-1-pentanamine N,N-dimethyl-3-hexanamine

Chapter 19 8
 Aromatic Amines

 In aromatic amines, the amino group is

bonded to a benzene ring.
 Parent compound is called aniline.

Chapter 19 9
 Heterocyclic Amines
When naming a cyclic amine the nitrogen is
assigned position number 1.

Chapter 19 10
 Structure of Amines

 Nitrogen is sp3 hybridized with a lone pair of

electrons.
 The angle is less than 109.5º.
Chapter 19 11
 Interconversion of Chiral Amines

 Nitrogen may have three different groups and

a lone pair, but enantiomers cannot be
isolated due to inversion around N.

Chapter 19 12
 Chiral Amines

 Amines whose chirality stems from the

presence of chiral carbon atoms.
 Inversion of the nitrogen is not relevant
because it will not affect the chiral carbon.
Chapter 19 13
 Chiral Amines (Continued)

 Quaternary ammonium salts may have a chiral

nitrogen atom if the four substituents are different.
 Inversion of configuration is not possible because
there is no lone pair to undergo nitrogen inversion.
Chapter 19 14
 Chiral Cyclic Amines

 If the nitrogen atom is contained in a small ring, for

example, it is prevented from attaining the 120° bond
angle that facilitates inversion.
 Such a compound has a higher activation energy for
inversion, the inversion is slow, and the enantiomers
may be resolved.
Chapter 19 15
 Boiling Points

 N—H less polar than O—H.

 Weaker hydrogen bonds, so amines will have a lower
boiling point than the corresponding alcohol.
 Tertiary amines cannot hydrogen-bond, so they have
lower boiling points than primary and secondary
amines.
Chapter 19 16
 Solubility and Odor
 Small amines (< 6 Cs) are soluble in water.
 All amines accept hydrogen bonds from water
and alcohol.
 Branching increases solubility.
 Most amines smell like rotting fish.

NH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2NH2
1,5-pentanediamine or cadaverine

Chapter 19 17
 Basicity of Amines
 Lone pair of electrons on nitrogen can
accept a proton from an acid.
 Aqueous solutions are basic to litmus.
 Ammonia pKb = 4.74
 Alkyl amines are usually stronger bases
than ammonia.
 Increasing the number of alkyl groups
decreases solvation of ion, so 2° and 3°
amines are similarChapter
to 1° 19
amines in basicity.
18
Reactivity of Amines

Chapter 19 19
 Base-Dissociation Constant of
Amines

 An amine can abstract a proton from water, giving an

ammonium ion and a hydroxide ion.
 The equilibrium constant for this reaction is called the
base-dissociation constant for the amine,
symbolized by Kb.
Chapter 19 20
Base Dissociation of an Amine

 Alkyl groups stabilize the ammonium ion,

making the amine a stronger base.
Chapter 19 21
 Alkyl Group Stabilization of
Amines

 Alkyl groups make the nitrogen a stronger

base than ammonia.
Chapter 19 22
 Resonance Effects

 Any delocalization of the electron pair weakens the

base.
Chapter 19 23
 Protonation of Pyrrole

 When the pyrrole nitrogen is protonated,

pyrrole loses its aromatic stabilization.
 Therefore, protonation on nitrogen is
unfavorable and pyrrole is a very weak base.
Chapter 19 24
 Hybridization Effects

 Pyridine is less basic than aliphatic amines,

but it is more basic than pyrrole because it
does not lose its aromaticity on protonation.

Chapter 19 25
 Ammonium Salts

 Ionic solids with high melting points.

 Soluble in water.
 No fishy odor.

Chapter 19 26
Purifying an Amine

Chapter 19 27
Phase Transfer Catalysts

Chapter 19 28
 Cocaine

 Cocaine is usually smuggled and “snorted” as the

hydrochloride salt.
 Treating cocaine hydrochloride with sodium
hydroxide and extracting it into ether converts it back
to the volatile “free base” for smoking.

Chapter 19 29
 IR Spectroscopy

 N—H stretch between 3200–3500 cm-1.

 Two peaks for 1° amine, one for 2°.

Chapter 19 30
NMR Spectroscopy of Amines

 Nitrogen is not as electronegative as oxygen,

so the protons on the α-carbon atoms of
amines are not as strongly deshielded.
Chapter 19 31
NMR Spectrum

Chapter 19 32
 Alpha Cleavage of Amines

 The most common fragmentation of amines is

α-cleavage to give a resonance-stabilized
cation—an iminium ion.

Chapter 19 33
Fragmentation of Butyl Propyl
Amine

Chapter 19 34
MS of Butyl Propyl Amine

Chapter 19 35
Reaction of Amines with Carbonyl
Compounds

Chapter 19 36
 Electrophilic Substitution
of Aniline

 —NH2 is strong activator, ortho- and

para-directing.
 Multiple alkylation is a problem.
 Protonation of the amine converts the
group into a deactivator (—NH3+).
 Attempt to nitrate aniline may burn or
explode.
Chapter 19 37
 Protonation of Aniline in
Substitution Reactions

 Strongly acidic reagents protonate the amino group,

giving an ammonium salt.
 The —NH3+ group is strongly deactivating (and meta-
allowing).
 Therefore, strongly acidic reagents are unsuitable for
substitution of anilines.
Chapter 19 38
 Electrophilic Substitution
of Pyridine

 Strongly deactivated by electronegative N.

 Substitutes in the 3-position.
 Electrons on N react with electrophile.

Chapter 19 39
Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution
of Pyridine

Chapter 19 40
Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution
of Pyridine (Continued)

 Attack at the 2-position would have an

unfavorable resonance structure in which the
positive charge is localized on the nitrogen.
 Substitution at the 2-position is not observed.
Chapter 19 41
 Nucleophilic Substitution
of Pyridine

 Deactivated toward electrophilic attack.

 Activated toward nucleophilic attack.
 Nucleophile will replace a good leaving group in the
2- or 4-position.
Chapter 19 42
 Mechanism for
Nucleophilic Substitution

 Attack at the 3-position does not have the

negative charge on the nitrogen, so
substitution at the 3-position is not observed.

Chapter 19 43
 Alkylation of Amines by Alkyl
Halides

 Even if just one equivalent of the halide is added,

some amine molecules will react once, some will
react twice, and some will react three times (to give
the tetraalkylammonium salt).
Chapter 19 44
 Examples of Useful Alkylations
 Exhaustive alkylation to form the
tetraalkylammonium salt.
+ _
NH2 N(CH3)3 I
3 CH3I
CH3CH2CHCH2CH2CH3 CH3CH2CHCH2CH2CH3
NaHCO3

 Reaction with large excess of NH3 to form the

primary amine.
NH3 (xs)
CH3CH2CH2Br CH3CH2CH2NH2 + NH4Br

Chapter 19 45
 Acylation of Amines

 Primary and secondary amines react with

acid halides to form amides.
 This reaction is a nucleophilic acyl
substitution.
Chapter 19 46
 Acylation of Aromatic Amines

 When the amino group of aniline is acetylated, the

resulting amide is still activating and ortho, para-
directing.
 Acetanilide may be treated with acidic (and mild
oxidizing) reagents to further substitute the ring.
 The acyl group can be removed later by acidic or
basic hydrolysis. Chapter 19 47
 Solved Problem 1
Show how you would accomplish the following synthetic conversion in good yield.

Solution
An attempted Friedel–Crafts acylation on aniline would likely meet with disaster. The free amino group
would attack both the acid chloride and the Lewis acid catalyst.

Chapter 19 48
 Solved Problem 1 (Continued)
Solution (Continued)
We can control the nucleophilicity of aniline’s amino group by converting it to an amide, which is still
activating and ortho, para directing for the Friedel–Crafts reaction. Acylation, followed by hydrolysis
of the amide, gives the desired product.

Chapter 19 49
 Formation of Sulfonamides

 Primary or secondary amines react with

sulfonyl chloride.

Chapter 19 50
Synthesis of Sulfanilamide

Chapter 19 51
Biological Activity of Sulfanilamide

 Sulfanilamide is an analogue of p-aminobenzoic acid.

 Streptococci use p-aminobenzoic acid to synthesize
folic acid, an essential compound for growth and
reproduction. Sulfanilamide cannot be used to make
folic acid.
 Bacteria cannot distinguish between sulfanilamide
and p-aminobenzoic acid, so it will inhibit their growth
and reproduction. Chapter 19 52
 Hofmann Elimination

 A quaternary ammonium salt has a good

leaving group—a neutral amine.
 Heating the hydroxide salt produces the least
substituted alkene.
Chapter 19 53
Exhaustive Methylation of Amines

 An amino group can be converted into a good leaving

group by exhaustive elimination: Conversion to a
quaternary ammonium salt that can leave as a
neutral amine.
 Methyl iodide is usually used.
Chapter 19 54
 Conversion to the Hydroxide Salt

 The quaternary ammonium iodide is

converted to the hydroxide salt by treatment
with silver oxide and water.
 The hydroxide will be the base in the
elimination step.
Chapter 19 55
 Mechanism of the Hofmann
Elimination

 The Hofmann elimination is a one-step,

concerted E2 reaction using an amine as the
leaving group.
Chapter 19 56
 Regioselectivity of the Hofmann
Elimination

 The least substituted product is the major

product of the reaction—Hofmann product.
Chapter 19 57
E2 Mechanism

Chapter 19 58
 Solved Problem 2
Predict the major product(s) formed when the following amine is treated with excess iodomethane,
followed by heating with silver oxide.

Solution
Solving this type of problem requires finding every possible elimination of the methylated salt. In this
case, the salt has the following structure:

Chapter 19 59
 Solved Problem 2 (Continued)
Solution (Continued)
The green, blue, and red arrows show the three possible elimination routes. The corresponding products
are

The first (green) alkene has a disubstituted double bond. The second (blue) alkene is monosubstituted,
and the red alkene (ethylene) has an unsubstituted double bond. We predict that the red products will
be favored.

Chapter 19 60
 Oxidation of Amines

 Amines are easily oxidized, even in air.

 Common oxidizing agents: H2O2 , MCPBA.
 2° Amines oxidize to hydroxylamine (—NOH)
 3° Amines oxidize to amine oxide (R3N+—O-)
Chapter 19 61
 Preparation of Amine Oxides

 Tertiary amines are oxidized to amine oxides,

often in good yields.
 Either H2O2 or peroxyacid may be used for this
oxidation.
Chapter 19 62
 Cope Rearrangement

 E2 mechanism.
 The amine oxide acts as its own base through a
cyclic transition state, so a strong base is not needed.

Chapter 19 63
 Solved Problem 3
Predict the products expected when the following compound is treated with H2O2 and heated.

Solution
Oxidation converts the tertiary amine to an amine oxide. Cope elimination can give either of two
alkenes. We expect the less hindered elimination to be favored, giving the Hofmann product.

Chapter 19 64
 Formation of Diazonium Salts

R NH2 + NaNO2 + 2 HCl R N N Cl- + 2 H2O + NaCl

R N N R + N N

 Primary amines react with nitrous acid (HNO2)

to form dialkyldiazonium salts.
 The diazonium salts are unstable and
decompose into carbocations and nitrogen.
Chapter 19 65
 Diazotization of an Amine
Step 1: The amine attacks the nitrosonium ion and forms N-
nitrosoamine.

Step 2: A proton transfer (a tautomerism) from nitrogen to

oxygen forms a hydroxyl group and a second N-N bond.

Chapter 19 66
 Diazotization of an Amine
(Continued)

Step 3: Protonation of the hydroxyl group, followed by the

loss of water, gives the diazonium ion.

Chapter 19 67
 Arenediazonium Salts

 By forming and diazotizing an amine, an

activated aromatic position can be converted
into a wide variety of functional groups.

Chapter 19 68
Reactions of Arenediazonium
Salts

Chapter 19 69
The Sandmeyer Reaction

Chapter 19 70
 Formation of N-Nitrosoamines

 Secondary amines react with nitrous acid (HNO2) to

form N-nitrosoamines.
 Secondary N-nitrosoamines are stable and have
been shown to be carcinogenic in lab animals.

Chapter 19 71
 Reductive Amination: 1º Amines

 Primary amines result from the condensation of

hydroxylamine (zero alkyl groups) with a ketone or an
aldehyde, followed by reduction of the oxime.
 LiAlH4 or NaBH3CN can be used to reduce the oxime.

Chapter 19 72
 Reductive Amination: 2º Amines

 Condensation of a ketone or an aldehyde with a

primary amine forms an N-substituted imine (a Schiff
base).
 Reduction of the N-substituted imine gives a
secondary amine.

Chapter 19 73
 Reductive Amination: 3º Amines

 Condensation of a ketone or an aldehyde with a

secondary amine gives an iminium salt.
 Iminium salts are frequently unstable, so they are
rarely isolated.
 A reducing agent in the solution reduces the iminium
salt to a tertiary amine.
Chapter 19 74
 Solved Problem 3
Show how to synthesize the following amines from the indicated starting materials.
(a) N-cyclopentylaniline from aniline (b) N-ethylpyrrolidine from pyrrolidine

Solution
(a) This synthesis requires adding a cyclopentyl group to aniline (primary) to make a secondary amine.
Cyclopentanone is the carbonyl compound.

(b) This synthesis requires adding an ethyl group to a secondary amine to make a tertiary amine. The
carbonyl compound is acetaldehyde. Formation of a tertiary amine by Na(AcO)3BH reductive
amination involves an iminium intermediate, which is reduced by (sodium triacetoxyborohydride).

Chapter 19 75
 Synthesis of 1º Amines by
Acylation–Reduction

 Acylation of the starting amine by an acid chloride

gives an amide with no tendency toward
overacylation.
 Reduction of the amide by LiAlH4 gives the
corresponding amine.
Chapter 19 76
 Synthesis of 2º Amines by
Acylation–Reduction

 Acylation–reduction converts a primary amine

to a secondary amine.
 LiAlH4, followed by hydrolysis, can easily
reduce the intermediate amide to the amine.
Chapter 19 77
 Synthesis of 3º Amines by
Acylation–Reduction

 Acylation–reduction converts a secondary

amine to a tertiary amine.
 Reduction of the intermediate amide is
accomplished with LiAlH4.
Chapter 19 78
 Solved Problem 4
Show how to synthesize N-ethylpyrrolidine from pyrrolidine using acylation–reduction.

Solution
This synthesis requires adding an ethyl group to pyrrolidine to make a tertiary amine. The acid chloride
needed will be acetyl chloride (ethanoyl chloride). Reduction of the amide gives N-ethylpyrrolidine.

Compare this synthesis with Solved Problem 19-5(b) to show how reductive amination and acylation–
reduction can accomplish the same result.

Chapter 19 79
 The Gabriel Synthesis

 The phthalimide ion is a strong nucleophile,

displacing the halide or tosylate ion from a good SN2
substrate.
 Heating the N-alkyl phthalimide with hydrazine
displaces the primary amine, giving the very stable
hydrazide of phthalimide.
Chapter 19 80
 Reduction of Azides

 Azide ion, N3-, is a good nucleophile.

 React azide with unhindered 1° or 2° halide
or tosylate (SN2).
 Alkyl azides are explosive! Do not isolate.
Chapter 19 81
 Reduction of Nitriles

 Nitrile (C≡N) is a good SN2 nucleophile.

 Reduction with H2 or LiAlH4 converts the nitrile
into a primary amine.

Chapter 19 82
Reduction of Nitro Compounds

 The nitro group can be reduced to the amine

by catalytic hydrogenation or by an active
metal and H+.
 Commonly used to synthesize anilines.
Chapter 19 83
 The Hofmann Rearrangement of
Amides

 In the presence of a strong base, primary amides

react with chlorine or bromine to form shortened
amines, with the loss of the carbonyl carbon atom.
 This reaction, called the Hofmann rearrangement, is
used to synthesize primary and aryl amines.
Chapter 19 84
 Mechanism of the Hofmann
Rearrangement: Steps 1 and 2

Chapter 19 85
 Mechanism of the Hofmann
Rearrangement: Steps 3 and 4

Chapter 19 86