What reagents and conditions turn a halogenoalkane into a primary amine?

The halogenoalkane is heated with an excess of ammonia dissolved in ethanol, in a sealed tube so that the volatile ammonia cannot escape. The ammonia replaces the halogen atom.

Write an equation for the reaction of bromoethane with ammonia.

The equation is CH₃CH₂Br + 2NH₃ → CH₃CH₂NH₂ + NH₄Br. Two molecules of ammonia are needed, one to supply the nitrogen and one to remove the hydrogen bromide as ammonium bromide.

Why is a large excess of ammonia used in this preparation?

The primary amine formed is itself a nucleophile and reacts with more halogenoalkane to give secondary and tertiary amines and finally a quaternary ammonium salt. A large excess of ammonia makes it far more likely that a halogenoalkane molecule meets ammonia rather than the amine, so the yield of the primary amine is improved.

Why is the reaction carried out in a sealed tube?

Ammonia is a gas at room temperature and the mixture has to be heated, so an open vessel would simply lose the ammonia. Sealing the tube keeps the ammonia dissolved under pressure at the higher temperature.

What type of mechanism operates when ammonia reacts with a halogenoalkane, and which species is the nucleophile?

It is nucleophilic substitution. The ammonia molecule is the nucleophile, since the lone pair on its nitrogen atom can be donated to form a new bond.

Describe the curly arrows for the first step when ammonia attacks bromoethane.

One curly arrow starts at the lone pair on the nitrogen atom of the ammonia molecule and ends at the carbon atom bonded to bromine, which carries a partial positive charge. A second curly arrow starts at the C–Br bonding pair and ends on the bromine atom, so the bond undergoes heterolytic fission and a bromide ion is released, leaving a positively charged ethylammonium ion.

WJEC A-Level Chemistry 1410QS

Formulae and Equations

Topic overview Charges on common ions Building formulae for ionic and molecular compounds Assigning oxidation numbers Using oxidation numbers to follow redox changes Balancing equations and using state symbols Ionic and half equations

Basic Ideas About Atoms

Topic overview Radioactive decay and nuclear equations Alpha, beta and gamma radiation Half-life, dating and the uses of radioisotopes: half-life of radioactive decay Half-life, dating and the uses of radioisotopes: adverse consequences for living cells Ionisation energies and electronic structure Orbitals and the filling of sub-shells Atomic spectra and the energy of light: atomic emission spectrum of the hydrogen atom Atomic spectra and the energy of light: relationship between energy and frequency Atomic spectra and the energy of light: significance of the frequency

Chemical Calculations

Topic overview Relative masses and the mass spectrometer: relative atomic Relative masses and the mass spectrometer: how a mass spectrometer works Relative masses and the mass spectrometer: molecular ion The mole, the Avogadro constant and molar mass: relative mass terms and simple mass spectra The mole, the Avogadro constant and molar mass: moles and percentage composition by mass Empirical and molecular formulae Concentration, solubility and titration calculations: concentration in mol dm-3 and in g dm-3 Concentration, solubility and titration calculations: stoichiometry and the limiting reagent Concentration, solubility and titration calculations: titration calculations and estimating a titre Gas volumes and the ideal gas equation Yield, atom economy and experimental uncertainty: concepts of atom economy and percentage yield Yield, atom economy and experimental uncertainty: how to estimate the percentage error

Bonding

Topic overview Ionic bonds and covalent bonds: ionic bonding in terms of ion formation Ionic bonds and covalent bonds: covalent bonding and forces Electronegativity, polarity and in-between bonds: concepts of electronegativity and bond polarity Electronegativity, polarity and in-between bonds: forces Forces between molecules Hydrogen bonding Shapes of molecules and ions: VSEPR principle and its use Shapes of molecules and ions: bond angles associated with linear

Solid Structures

Topic overview Ionic crystals: sodium chloride and caesium chloride Giant covalent structures: diamond and graphite Simple molecular solids: iodine and ice Metals and the electron sea Using structure to explain physical properties

The Periodic Table

Topic overview How the Periodic Table is organised Oxidation and reduction as electron transfer Trends across periods and down groups Group 2: reactions, trends and the reasons behind them — reactions with oxygen, water and dilute acid Group 2: reactions, trends and the reasons behind them — trends down the group Group 2: reactions, trends and the reasons behind them — thermal stability of the carbonates Group 2: reactions, trends and the reasons behind them — oxides and hydroxides Identifying ions, making salts and gravimetric analysis: identifying cations with sodium hydroxide Identifying ions, making salts and gravimetric analysis: preparing a soluble salt from an acid Group 7: the halogens — physical properties and the trend in volatility Group 7: the halogens — reactions of the halogens with metals Group 7: the halogens — displacement reactions and the trend Group 7: the halogens — halide ions as reducing agents, uses of chlorine and the chlorate equilibrium

Simple Equilibria and Acid-Base Reactions

Topic overview Reversible reactions and dynamic equilibrium Le Chatelier's principle and shifting the position of equilibrium The equilibrium constant Kc Acids, bases, salts and neutralisation pH, strong acids and weak acids Acid-base titrations and their calculations

Thermochemistry

Topic overview Enthalpy changes and their definitions Calculating enthalpy changes from experimental measurements Determining enthalpy changes in the laboratory Hess's law and energy cycles Average bond enthalpies

Rates of Reaction

Topic overview Collision theory and the conditions that change rate Measuring rate and relating it to concentration Energy profiles and activation energy Temperature and the Boltzmann distribution Catalysts and how they work Following reactions in the laboratory

The Wider Impact of Chemistry

Topic overview Social and economic consequences of chemical manufacture and energy supply Environmental consequences of chemical processes and energy production Green chemistry and sustainable practice

Organic Compounds

Topic overview Drawing and reading organic structures Naming organic compounds Chain length, functional groups and physical properties Structural isomerism Electrophiles, nucleophiles, radicals and bond fission

Hydrocarbons

Topic overview Alkane bonding, combustion and fossil fuels: combustion reaction of alkanes and benefits Alkane bonding, combustion and fossil fuels: combustion calculations and acid rain Radical substitution of alkanes The C=C bond and why alkenes are reactive E–Z isomerism in alkenes Electrophilic addition, Markovnikov's rule and testing for alkenes: mechanism of electrophilic addition Electrophilic addition, Markovnikov's rule and testing for alkenes: Markovnikov's rule and the bromine water test Electrophilic addition, Markovnikov's rule and testing for alkenes: testing for a C=C bond Hydrogenation and addition polymers: conditions required Hydrogenation and addition polymers: nature of addition polymerisation

Halogenoalkanes

Topic overview Nucleophilic substitution by hydroxide ions Elimination to form alkenes Reactivity of the carbon–halogen bond and the silver nitrate test Uses of halogenoalkanes, CFCs and the ozone layer: uses of halogenoalkanes and CFCs Uses of halogenoalkanes, CFCs and the ozone layer: radical mechanism Uses of halogenoalkanes, CFCs and the ozone layer: replacements for CFCs Heating under reflux in the laboratory

Alcohols and Carboxylic Acids

Topic overview Two routes to ethanol: hydration and fermentation — hydration of ethene Two routes to ethanol: hydration and fermentation — fermentation Two routes to ethanol: hydration and fermentation — comparing the two routes on rate Classifying alcohols and dehydrating them Oxidising alcohols to aldehydes, ketones and acids Chemical tests for alcohols and carboxylic acids Carboxylic acids, bases and salts Making an ester and separating it by distillation: esterification Making an ester and separating it by distillation: carrying out the preparation Making an ester and separating it by distillation: separating and purifying Making an ester and separating it by distillation: yield

Instrumental Analysis

Topic overview Reading a mass spectrum Infrared spectra and functional groups NMR spectra and atomic environments Putting the three techniques together

Redox and Standard Electrode Potential

Topic overview Electron transfer and oxidation numbers Half-equations, half-cells and cell diagrams The hydrogen electrode and standard electrode potentials Cell EMF and the feasibility of reactions The hydrogen fuel cell

Redox Reactions

Topic overview Building ion–electron half-equations Combining half-equations into full equations Copper, iodide and thiosulfate Carrying out and calculating a redox titration: procedure for a manganate titration Carrying out and calculating a redox titration: redox titration calculations

Chemistry of the P-Block

Topic overview Amphoteric behaviour of aluminium and lead Stability of oxidation states down Groups 3, 4 and 5: increasing stability of the inert pair cations Stability of oxidation states down Groups 3, 4 and 5: change in relative stability Valence shells that break the octet rule: how some Group 3 elements can form compounds Valence shells that break the octet rule: structure and bonding in Al2Cl6 and formation Boron nitride: two structures, two sets of properties Group 4 oxides and chlorides, and lead in solution: structure Group 4 oxides and chlorides, and lead in solution: hydrolysis of the Group 4 chlorides Group 4 oxides and chlorides, and lead in solution: chloride hydrolysis and lead(II) precipitates Group 4 oxides and chlorides, and lead in solution: distinguishing lead from silver ions Chlorine, chlorate and the sodium halides: chlorine with water and with cold and hot alkali Chlorine, chlorate and the sodium halides: bleaching and bactericidal action of Cl2 Chlorine, chlorate and the sodium halides: differences in behaviour of NaCl

Chemistry of the D-Block Transition Metals

Topic overview Variable oxidation states and the colours of their solutions: how the d-block elements attain various Variable oxidation states and the colours of their solutions: most important oxidation states of Cr Complex ions: ligands, coordination number and shape Why transition metal complexes are coloured Ligand exchange and changes in coordination number Transition metals as catalysts: why transition metals Transition metals as catalysts: variable oxidation state Transition metals as catalysts: heterogeneous catalysis Transition metals as catalysts: surface area Transition metal ions with aqueous hydroxide

Chemical Kinetics

Topic overview Following a reaction by sampling and quenching Finding the order of a reaction from experimental results The rate equation and the rate constant Rate-determining steps and reaction mechanisms Temperature, catalysts and the Arrhenius equation

Enthalpy Changes for Solids and Solutions

Topic overview Defining the enthalpy changes Born-Haber cycles for ionic compounds Dissolving: lattice breaking against hydration What the enthalpy of formation says about stability

Entropy and Feasibility of Reactions

Topic overview Entropy as the freedom of particles Comparing entropy across states and reactions Calculating entropy changes Gibbs free energy change Feasibility, temperature and spontaneous endothermic change

Equilibrium Constants

Topic overview Writing equilibrium constant expressions and deriving their units Calculating Kc and equilibrium amounts Partial pressures and Kp calculations Temperature, magnitude and the position of equilibrium

Acid-Base Equilibria

Topic overview Proton transfer and conjugate pairs Strong and weak acids: Ka and pKa Water, Kw and the pH scale pH calculations for acids and alkalis: how to use pH pH calculations for acids and alkalis: strong bases, dilution and mixtures Buffers: how they hold pH steady and why they matter Titrations: curve shapes, salt pH and choosing an indicator — pH curve shapes for strong and weak acids and bases Titrations: curve shapes, salt pH and choosing an indicator Titrations: curve shapes, salt pH and choosing an indicator — how an indicator works and choosing one Titrations: curve shapes, salt pH and choosing an indicator — using a pH probe

Stereoisomerism

Topic overview Structural isomerism and stereoisomerism compared E‒Z isomerism and the priority rules Chiral centres, enantiomers and racemic mixtures Optical activity and plane-polarised light

Aromaticity

Topic overview Benzene: shape, bonding and delocalisation Aromatic stability and resistance to addition Electrophilic substitution: nitration, halogenation and alkylation How ring and substituent affect each other

Alcohols and Phenols

Topic overview Making primary and secondary alcohols Reactions of primary and secondary alcohols Phenol: acidity and characteristic reactions Recognising a phenol

Aldehydes and Ketones

Topic overview Making aldehydes and ketones from alcohols Distinguishing aldehydes from ketones Reduction of carbonyl compounds with NaBH₄ Nucleophilic addition of hydrogen cyanide 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine as a test for a carbonyl group The triiodomethane test

Carboxylic Acids and Their Derivatives

Topic overview Comparing the acidity of carboxylic acids, phenols, alcohols and water Making carboxylic acids by oxidation Reduction and decarboxylation of carboxylic acids: reduction of carboxylic acids using LiAlH₄ Reduction and decarboxylation of carboxylic acids: decarboxylation of carboxylic acids Esters and acid chlorides Turning acids and halogenoalkanes into amides and nitriles Hydrolysis and reduction of nitriles and amides

Amines

Topic overview Preparing aliphatic and aromatic amines The basicity of amines Ethanoylation of primary amines Primary amines and cold nitric(III) acid Coupling reactions and azo dyes: coupling of benzenediazonium salts with phenols Coupling reactions and azo dyes: role of the —N=N— chromophore in azo dyes The origin of colour

Amino Acids, Peptides and Proteins

Topic overview Structure and classification of α-amino acids Zwitterions, amphoteric character and physical properties Peptide links: dipeptides, polypeptides and proteins Levels of protein structure and the bonds that hold them Proteins at work: enzymes and biological function

Organic Synthesis and Analysis

Topic overview Planning a synthesis as a sequence of reactions Working up a preparation: separation and purification Melting temperature as a test of purity Addition and condensation polymerisation: polyesters and polyamides Polymers: hydrolysis, properties and identifying repeat units High-resolution ¹H NMR and the elucidation of structure: low- and high-resolution proton NMR High-resolution ¹H NMR and the elucidation of structure: chemical shift, TMS, solvents and D₂O exchange High-resolution ¹H NMR and the elucidation of structure: combining mass spectra and NMR to identify compounds High-resolution ¹H NMR and the elucidation of structure: combining NMR with mass spectrometry Chromatography and the composition of mixtures

Practical Skills and Techniques

Topic overview Measuring mass, volume, time and temperature Standard solutions and titration technique Indicators and acid–base titration curves Heating, refluxing, distilling and purifying: Heating Heating, refluxing, distilling and purifying: purifying Melting temperature, chromatography and pH measurement Electrochemical cells, rate methods and working safely: Electrochemical cells Electrochemical cells, rate methods and working safely: rate methods and working safely

Planning, Analysis and Evaluation

Topic overview Planning an investigation and controlling variables Recording observations and presenting data Graphs, gradients and processing data Errors, uncertainty, accuracy and precision Evaluating a method and suggesting improvements Research and referencing

Core Experiments and Their Chemistry

Topic overview Gravimetric and acid–base analysis Enthalpy and rate experiments: Enthalpy Enthalpy and rate experiments: rate experiments Redox titrations and electrochemical cells Equilibrium constants and following a titration with a pH probe Organic synthesis, separation and identification: Organic synthesis Organic synthesis, separation and identification: identification tests and chromatography

Mathematical Skills in Chemistry

Topic overview Units, standard form and proportion in chemical calculation: volume, equilibrium, rate and energy units Units, standard form and proportion in chemical calculation: standard form Units, standard form and proportion in chemical calculation: proportion Units, standard form and proportion in chemical calculation: checking answers, buffers, rate constants and units Significant figures, means and uncertainty in experimental data: significant figures in multiplication Significant figures, means and uncertainty in experimental data: relative atomic mass as a weighted mean Significant figures, means and uncertainty in experimental data: absolute and percentage uncertainty Symbols, rearranging equations and logarithms: chemical symbols and what each one asserts Symbols, rearranging equations and logarithms: rearranging an equation Symbols, rearranging equations and logarithms: substituting into equations for Kc, enthalpy and pH Symbols, rearranging equations and logarithms: logarithms, the Arrhenius equation and rearranging formulae Graphs: plotting, gradients, intercepts and tangents — reading a spectrum Graphs: plotting, gradients, intercepts and tangents — reaction order from data and plotting good graphs Graphs: plotting, gradients, intercepts and tangents — Arrhenius plots, zero-order graphs and tangents Graphs: plotting, gradients, intercepts and tangents — initial rates from tangents and interpreting graphs Shape, symmetry and three-dimensional structure: Shape Shape, symmetry and three-dimensional structure: symmetry

Amines

7 subtopics
21 things to know
A2 Unit 4

What Amines covers

Amines is examined on A2 Unit 4 of WJEC Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Analysis. 115 recall questions across 7 subtopics.

Where it is assessed

A2 Unit 4

Organic Chemistry and Analysis.

Check the WJEC specification ↗

The 7 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

In making ethylamine from a halogenoalkane and ammonia, describe the second step, by which the free amine is produced.

Key term

What reagents and conditions reduce a nitrile to a primary amine?

Key term

Why does the nitrile route give a cleaner primary amine than heating a halogenoalkane with ammonia?

Key term

How could you recover ethylamine from a sample of ethylammonium chloride?

Key term

Why is ethylamine a stronger base than ammonia?

Key term

Why is phenylamine a much weaker base than ammonia?

Key term

What reagent and conditions ethanoylate a primary amine?

Numbers

Why are two moles of amine usually used for every mole of ethanoyl chloride?

Key term

Why is the product of ethanoylation no longer basic?

Key term

Why is an excess of dilute hydrochloric acid used when phenylamine is diazotised?

Key term

What colour of dye results from coupling a benzenediazonium salt with naphthalen-2-ol?

Key term

Why is the colour of an azo dye much more intense than that of a compound containing an isolated N=N group?

Key term

Why does the colour disappear if a saturated –CH₂CH₂– group is inserted between the azo group and one of the rings?

Key term

Write down the relationship between the energy gap in a molecule and the wavelength of light it absorbs.

Key term

Why does extending the delocalised system in a molecule tend to deepen its colour?

Key term

What organic products are obtained when ethylamine reacts with cold nitric(III) acid?

Numbers

What conditions are used to couple a benzenediazonium salt with phenol?

Key term

Why must the mixture be kept below 10 °C when nitric(III) acid is generated?

Key term

What is formed when a cold benzenediazonium salt solution is coupled with phenylamine?

Key term

Describe in words the structure of 4-hydroxyazobenzene.

Process

An azo dye absorbs strongly at 450 nm. What colour would you expect it to be?

Take Amines further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

A primary amine vs A tertiary amine
A primary amine: an amine whose nitrogen carries one alkyl or aryl group. A tertiary amine: an amine whose nitrogen carries three such groups.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What reagents and conditions turn a halogenoalkane into a primary amine?
Model answer
The halogenoalkane is heated with an excess of ammonia dissolved in ethanol, in a sealed tube so that the volatile ammonia cannot escape. The ammonia replaces the halogen atom.
2
Write an equation for the reaction of bromoethane with ammonia.
Model answer
The equation is CH₃CH₂Br + 2NH₃ → CH₃CH₂NH₂ + NH₄Br. Two molecules of ammonia are needed, one to supply the nitrogen and one to remove the hydrogen bromide as ammonium bromide.
3
Why is a large excess of ammonia used in this preparation?
Model answer
The primary amine formed is itself a nucleophile and reacts with more halogenoalkane to give secondary and tertiary amines and finally a quaternary ammonium salt. A large excess of ammonia makes it far more likely that a halogenoalkane molecule meets ammonia rather than the amine, so the yield of the primary amine is improved.
4
Why is the reaction carried out in a sealed tube?
Model answer
Ammonia is a gas at room temperature and the mixture has to be heated, so an open vessel would simply lose the ammonia. Sealing the tube keeps the ammonia dissolved under pressure at the higher temperature.
5
What type of mechanism operates when ammonia reacts with a halogenoalkane, and which species is the nucleophile?
Model answer
It is nucleophilic substitution. The ammonia molecule is the nucleophile, since the lone pair on its nitrogen atom can be donated to form a new bond.
6
Describe the curly arrows for the first step when ammonia attacks bromoethane.
Model answer
One curly arrow starts at the lone pair on the nitrogen atom of the ammonia molecule and ends at the carbon atom bonded to bromine, which carries a partial positive charge. A second curly arrow starts at the C–Br bonding pair and ends on the bromine atom, so the bond undergoes heterolytic fission and a bromide ion is released, leaving a positively charged ethylammonium ion.

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Amines revision questions

What does Amines cover in WJEC A-Level Chemistry?: 7 subtopics: preparing aliphatic and aromatic amines, the basicity of amines, ethanoylation of primary amines, primary amines and cold nitric(iii) acid, coupling reactions and azo dyes: coupling of benzenediazonium salts with phenols, coupling reactions and azo dyes: role of the —n=n— chromophore in azo dyes and the origin of colour. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
How is Amines organised?: By the WJEC 1410QS specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.

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