US Diethylenetriamine Prices Fall on Softening Feedstock Costs
Softening feedstock costs lower diethylenetriamine production costs, giving chemical buyers a strong position to secure lower prices.
Ethyleneamines
Chemical Family
Organic compounds that contain both ethylene groups and amine groups exhibit unique chelating and reactive properties in industrial formulations. The class of ethyleneamines consists of linear, branched and cyclic molecules such as ethylenediamine and diethylenetriamine. They are clear, colorless liquids with a strong ammoniacal odor.
Their alkaline nature allows them to form complexes with many metal ions.
Synthesis Process
Industrial manufacturing relies on two primary pathways to synthesize these polyamines. Chemical plants produce ethyleneamines by reacting ethylene dichloride with ammonia or by the monoethanolamine-ammonia route. Both pathways yield a mixture of homologous amines that requires fractional distillation to separate into individual products.
This reaction must be tightly controlled to adjust the ratios of ethylenediamine to heavier polyamines.
Process Integration
Thermosetting polymers, paper resins, agricultural chemicals and oil additives utilize these reactive compounds to achieve specific performance characteristics. In the production of epoxy coatings, ethyleneamines function as hardeners that react with epoxide groups to form cross-linked networks. They also react with fatty acids to yield amidoamines used as corrosion inhibitors in petroleum refining.
Their chelating properties are exploited in water treatment to bind heavy metals and prevent scaling in boilers. Because of their highly corrosive nature, these chemicals require specialized handling equipment and protective materials during transport.