The story of dipropylamine traces back to the relentless exploration of organic amines during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Early chemists sought new compounds with unique properties, leading to a rush of discoveries in secondary and tertiary amines. Dipropylamine soon turned heads because of its dual alkyl chains—a shift from simple methyl or ethyl amines. Over time, manufacturers refined separation and synthesis methods, allowing dipropylamine to move from laboratory curiosity to staple reagent. Its commercial footprint grew alongside rapid industrialization, finding a place not only in research but in the large-scale processes that shaped chemical manufacturing. You can see its roots embedded in the old handbooks, where early reports hint at the challenges with purification and handling toxicity. Those lessons continue to inform today's handling practices.
Dipropylamine stands as a clear, colorless liquid, notorious for its strong ammonia-like scent. Chemists and production technicians use it for more than simple reactions. DPA acts as a critical intermediate for agricultural chemicals, corrosion inhibitors, and even rubber processing. Manufacturers value its relative simplicity and dependable reaction profile. With global supply chains depending on specialized chemicals, products like dipropylamine form unseen links in everything from pharmaceuticals to plastics. By focusing on scale-up potential, chemical producers ensure DPA meets demand both for traditional and emerging industries.
Chemically, dipropylamine features the formula C6H15N. At standard pressure, its boiling point hovers close to 110°C, and its low freezing point of around -50°C keeps it liquid across common industrial temperatures. The liquid dissolves in organic solvents and features moderate solubility in water, which means spills can spread quickly and require diligent cleanup. Its vapor pressure underscores the need for controlled storage, especially in warm climates. DPA’s basicity sits between that of primary and tertiary amines, which shapes its performance as a reactant and corrosion inhibitor. Its strong pungent odor offers an early warning if something goes wrong on the production floor—a crude but effective safety tool I'd never underestimate.
On a technical sheet, dipropylamine appears with purity grades ranging from 98% to high-purity types for sensitive production lines. Color, water content, and presence of by-products get tight controls, since contaminants spark unwanted side reactions. Bottles and drums bear clear hazard pictograms for flammability, health risk, and aquatic toxicity. The GHS label should outline emergency procedures, so nobody playing hide and seek with the product gets caught off guard. Container labeling ties back to batch traceability—in case of unforeseen issues, everyone from line manager to importer follows the documentation trail without confusion.
Chemical plants synthesize dipropylamine through alkylation of ammonia using 1-propanol, typically catalyzed by solid acids or hydrogenation catalysts like Raney nickel. This process lets companies tune for mono, di-, or trialkylated products according to process needs. Experience has shown that controlling temperature and ratio of reactants can swing product distribution toward or away from dipropylamine, so process engineers keep a close eye on reactor conditions. For those scaling up to industrial production, impurities such as trialkylamine by-products complicate purification, nudging some operators to opt for distillation under reduced pressure to harvest the cleanest cut. Process waste streams also matter: capturing and recycling unreacted ammonia not only makes economic sense but helps with regulatory compliance.
Dipropylamine demonstrates reactive versatility, functioning as a nucleophile in alkylation reactions, engaging with acids to form salts, and providing a base for condensation pathways. Manufacturers prize its behavior in forming substituted ureas, amides, and carbamates—a track well-trodden by the agrochemical industry. Metal complex formation stands out for certain specialty catalysts. Reactivity also extends to its role as a chain stopper or modifier in some polymerizations, feeding the hunger for new plastics with tailored performance. Lab notebooks get filled with experiments seeking improved yields, as DPA’s secondary amine structure invites both predictable and novel transformations.
Chemists and industry professionals recognize dipropylamine under several names, including N-Propylpropan-1-amine, N,N-Dipropylamine, and 1-Propanamine, N-propyl-. Product catalogs layer even more trade names on top, depending on the supplier or application field. In regulatory databases, shorthand codes and CAS numbers help tie the aliases together, reducing mix-ups in global trading and customs paperwork. When specifying materials, clarity on synonyms prevents substitution with less pure or nonconforming batches, a problem that haunts less diligent procurement operations.
Working with dipropylamine demands respect and firsthand knowledge of its hazards. Its vapors annoy the respiratory system, and skin contact can quickly bring out irritation or worse—so gloves, goggles, and good ventilation earn their keep every day. Storage guidelines rank fire risk highly due to its flammability. Safety training should include not just handling, but recognition of exposure symptoms and emergency decontamination. In the companies I’ve seen, incidents drop sharply when teams treat dipropylamine’s dangers as real, enforcing routine inspections and spill response drills. Waste handling ties into broader environmental safeguards; improper dumping leads to regulatory penalties and loss of local trust.
Dipropylamine moves quietly into a remarkable number of downstream products. In agriculture, it gets built into herbicides that shape yield and weed control. Lubricant manufacturers use its derivatives to cut corrosion and improve flow under stress. It acts as a reactive intermediate in making dyes, and pharmaceutical developers exploit its secondary amine function to create novel therapeutic compounds. Rubber processing plants use DPA or its derivatives to improve vulcanization, tuning the resilience of products that face heavy wear. While most people never see pure dipropylamine themselves, they encounter its benefits in cleaner engines, more productive crops, and longer-lasting household goods.
Corporate and academic labs keep hunting for safer, greener synthesis paths for dipropylamine, seeking to drive waste and energy consumption even lower. Work continues on catalysts that promise stronger selectivity and mild reaction conditions, a boon for both profit margins and smaller carbon footprints. In toxicology, better models emerge for tracking breakdown products in soil and water, building more trustworthy ways to assess environmental impacts. Databases document each advance, so future generations learn from past experiments, not just from the patents but from the failures and near-misses as well.
Dipropylamine’s health effects spark careful scrutiny in public and occupational health circles. Acute exposure causes eye, skin, and respiratory irritation—standard fare in safety data sheets—but repeat inhalation or ingestion adds risk of organ damage. Animal studies show central nervous system impacts at high doses, driving careful control over exposure in factories and labs. Environmental fate also gets attention; DPA can linger in groundwater and affect aquatic life, prompting calls for stricter effluent controls. Regulators and industry collaborate on monitoring programs, weighing economic utility against potential health burdens. In my experience, honest data sharing between manufacturers and public agencies makes a bigger impact than secrecy or minimal compliance ever will.
Demand for dipropylamine looks set to grow, especially as its derivatives unlock new agricultural, pharmaceutical, and materials science innovations. Customers ask for more than just price and purity; they want transparency on sourcing, environmental impact, and end-of-life fate. Companies investing in renewable feedstocks and closed-loop manufacturing for DPA position themselves as industry leaders, aligning with moves toward sustainability. As stricter regulations shape global trade, compliance will shift from afterthought to selling point. For those willing to invest in cleaner processes, improved safety, and transparent supply chains, the evolving role of dipropylamine offers opportunity, not just for profit but for recognizing chemistry’s place in shaping responsible progress.
Spotting odd names in a chemistry book rarely points to daily life, but Dipropylamine already ties itself to agriculture, manufacturing, and a few other corners most of us never think twice about. It shows up as a clear liquid with a distinct smell—not exactly the type of thing you’d want spilled on your shoes. Yet, it gets plenty of work done in the background.
Most DPA heads straight for agricultural uses. Farmers rely on it as a building block in herbicides. Not the most glamorous, but crucial. Populations keep growing, and farms must squeeze more food out of every acre. Herbicides help plants outpace weeds. DPA forms a core part of some of the most widely used crop protection formulas. The chemical helps break down stubborn weeds while letting the crops breathe.
Allowing farmers to protect crops means a higher yield with less land. DPA solutions work in difficult climates and battle aggressive weed species. As someone with family who tried organic farming, I’ve seen how tough it gets without tools like this. Weeds win fast, cutting harvests in half. The debate over chemicals in agriculture continues, but crop losses hit food security directly.
DPA doesn’t rest there. In the factory, it acts as an intermediate to make other materials. Some of these find their way into rubber, coatings, and dyes that color clothes or packaging. Rubber goods grab a bit of DPA in their ingredient mix—consider car tires, boots, hoses, gaskets. The process needs a balance between flexibility, resilience, and cost. DPA helps reach the right mix.
Chemists look to DPA for more than one reason. It reacts at the right temperatures, speeds up some reactions, and brings down costs. Lower costs mean everyday goods don’t empty out wallets at the checkout line.
Industrial cleaners pull their own weight in factories, and some count on DPA to boost performance in degreasing. If you’ve watched mechanics clean engine parts, or if you’ve tried to dissolve axle grease in your own garage, strong cleaners are a must. DPA gives some household cleaning agents and specialty lubricants the edge for breaking up oily residue.
Researchers and technicians use DPA as a base chemical to create specialty compounds for pharmaceuticals and water treatments. In the lab, its structure gives scientists a way to build more complex molecules. Every time a new drug enters trials, the process begins by exploring chemicals like this one for possible leads.
Concern over chemicals—especially those on farms—grows every year. Health experts agree: exposure at unsafe levels can pose risks. DPA’s sharp odor signals you’re close to something potent; through skin or lungs, high concentrations can bring on headaches and more. Regulations already put limits on exposure and how much can show up in the environment.
Better safety comes from protective equipment and new production techniques that limit waste. Pushes for green chemistry keep manufacturers alert—engineers search for alternatives or safer ways to use DPA, with hopes for less runoff and safer foods. In my experience on the farm, mixing and applying chemicals has shifted a lot, with better training, measurement, and less guesswork. That change keeps both workers and fields safer.
Dipropylamine doesn’t show up on many labels, but its impact runs deep. The push for safer practices—using DPA only where it makes the biggest difference—looks set to shape the next chapter of farming and factory work alike.
Dipropylamine is a compound you often see in the world of organic chemistry and chemical manufacturing. Its formula, C6H15N, tells you it's got six carbon atoms, fifteen hydrogens, and one nitrogen. The clear part comes when you start sketching its structure. Imagine two straight chains, each with three carbons—those are propyl groups—linked to the same nitrogen atom.
I still remember my first college lab where we worked with amines. The pungent odor of dipropylamine stuck with me. That scent isn’t just an annoyance; it tells you this molecule is volatile, and a real presence in workplaces that use it. The structure looks like this in basic terms: CH3CH2CH2NHCH2CH2CH3. The nitrogen acts as a bridge between two propyl chains. Chemists call it a secondary amine—you’ve got the amine group (the N–H bond) and both arms are propyl chains instead of hydrogens.
Dipropylamine’s setup does more than fill up old exam papers. That secondary amine core affects how it interacts with water, acids, or even skin. It mixes with a lot of solvents, which means it's often useful in making dyes, rubber accelerators, or even pharmaceuticals. Its chemical reactivity lets it behave as a building block in several industrial syntheses.
In the field, safety teams pay attention to the molecular structure because the nitrogen can grab onto protons or react with acids. You don’t want accidental releases, since dipropylamine fumes can irritate airways and eyes. That hits home if you've ever spent a shift tracking a pesky leak in a drum. The structure means it evaporates fast, gives off that unmistakable fishy smell, and travels through the air much more easily than heavier compounds.
Long-term exposure carries risks. The molecule, being small and volatile, quickly gets into the air in a poorly ventilated space. Those handling it should use gloves, eye protection, and proper ventilation. Spills require fast containment, usually with absorbent materials that can handle organic liquids, to protect both workers and the local environment.
Tracking the fate of dipropylamine in water or soil matters. The secondary amine group can degrade, but persistent pollution hurts aquatic life and disrupts local ecosystems. Some countries maintain strict thresholds to keep discharges and workplace exposure low. OSHA publishes limits for its presence, based on studies showing irritation or more severe risks at higher concentrations.
Industries working with dipropylamine have choices. Closed systems and automated transfer help keep vapors inside equipment. Regular training teaches staff what symptoms to look for and how to react to a spill. On a broader level, investing in research for safer chemical substitutes could cut down its use in consumer-facing products. More transparent reporting lets communities near factories know what’s in the air and water.
Staying informed helps. Chemists, policy teams, and neighborhood groups all play a role in balancing dipropylamine’s usefulness with real-world safety. Knowing both the formula and what it means in context makes a difference in how we use, store, and replace chemicals like this.
Everyone encounters chemicals, even outside labs or factories. Dipropylamine, sometimes marked as DPA, drifts into various workplaces—think pesticides, rubber processing, or even making some medicines. It sits on the shelf as a clear liquid with a faintly fishy odor. Not exactly a household staple, but it finds use more often than most people realize.
The first thing I remember learning about DPA: it can burn skin and eyes on contact. Getting splashed is no minor accident. DPA draws water out of tissues, causing pain that lingers. Most folks working with DPA keep goggles and gloves close for a reason. Inhalation brings its own risks. Breathing in the vapors can irritate the nose, throat, and sometimes lead to headaches or lightheadedness. Prolonged exposure ramps up the danger—ongoing contact might affect the liver or kidneys over time.
Studies tested DPA's effects in animals and found that high doses damage organs, particularly the liver. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) lists DPA as a possible occupational hazard. It doesn't cause cancer to our current knowledge, but the lack of long-term studies on humans leaves some questions open. I couldn't find any reason to call it harmless.
Folks most at risk work where DPA gets manufactured or handled regularly. Production workers, sprayers in agriculture, or lab techs bear the brunt. Small leaks can go unnoticed until the smell tells on itself. Sometimes machines break down, or pipes develop tiny cracks. It’s not just about one-time accidents; little exposures add up across shifts and years.
DPA’s not designed to end up in your tap water or local park. If spills happen, it doesn’t stay put—rain or cleaning can move it into rivers and soil. Most municipal water systems can filter it out, but rural areas could see runoff slip into wells. It breaks down in the environment, but that process takes time and depends on sun and temperature. Fewer protections in some countries or companies amplify the risk.
Workplace safety comes down to clear rules and regular training. In my experience, the best outcomes come from enforcing those rules—not just writing them for the manual. Companies use fume hoods and gloves by default, and regular checks keep leaks from spiraling. A team that spots problems early keeps everyone safer.
On a bigger scale, stricter government limits on emissions, transparent reporting, and health monitoring protect not just workers, but their families too. Setting lower threshold limits—not just for air inside the plant, but for wastewater leaving the site—leaves less to chance.
Anyone handling DPA should know what’s at stake. Spills and exposures turn dangerous mostly through carelessness or corner-cutting. No chemical, least of all one like DPA, should turn a day’s work into a health crisis. Experience has taught me that honest talk about risks changes more minds than dry chemical data ever does.
Dipropylamine, a clear liquid with a fishy smell, often gets overlooked because it isn’t as famous as some chemicals. Still, a spill or careless storage can mean real trouble. I’ve watched even tough folks get careless and pay the price, since its vapors irritate eyes and lungs, and skin contact burns fast. That’s why basic respect and the right storage conditions matter as much as any science lesson.
Locking up dipropylamine means more than stuffing it on a shelf. It reacts fast with acids and oxidizers, so it’s not smart to store it near bleach, peroxides, or nitric acid. A real-world lab puts it in a steel cabinet marked for flammables, away from sunlight and heat, since it can catch fire at a lower temperature than you’d guess — its flash point is just 32°C (90°F). Anybody who’s walked into a sweltering storeroom in July knows that means risk, not just on a safety sheet, but right in your hands.
The fact that it evaporates easily makes tight caps and sturdy containers absolutely necessary. I’ve seen labs use clear plastic bottles and run into trouble; vapors turn up in places no one expects. Stick to bottles made from HDPE or glass, make sure labels stay clear, and don’t let bottles go sticky or yellow—those are hints the chemical’s changing or leaking.
It’s tempting to blame manufacturers if something goes wrong, but people working with dipropylamine set the tone. Training goes a long way. I remember one young tech who skipped gloves and splashed a tiny amount on his wrist, thinking he’d just wash it off. The burning didn’t wait. Gloves made from nitrile, lab coats, and safety goggles give far better protection than optimism. Some sites add a chemical-resistant apron for extra coverage—the small step saves whole days lost to injury.
A lot about handling chemicals safely is about keeping eyes open. Anyone pouring or transferring dipropylamine should do it under a fume hood with good airflow. It’s not only about following rules; it’s about keeping the air breathable, especially since many labs sit in older buildings with poor natural ventilation. Folks who ignore this risk start to smell the amine themselves—and that’s your cue to step back and fix the problem before it lingers.
Spills become a panic if nobody plans ahead. Absorbent pads, sand, or vermiculite handle leaks fast. Don’t grab a mop and bucket; water just spreads the mess. After collecting spilled dipropylamine, seal it in a proper drum and mark it for disposal. Only trained staff should touch the cleanup—worry about health, not hurrying the job.
Waste isn’t an afterthought. Dipropylamine shouldn’t end up in the drain. Licensed waste contractors can handle disposal by incineration or chemical treatment. Good practice means knowing your site’s waste plan and keeping emergency eyewash bottles full. Safety showers should work and stay unblocked; there’s no point having one if it’s collecting empty boxes.
In my experience, the labs and storerooms with fewest incidents rely less on luck and more on day-to-day habits. Dipropylamine, like many chemicals, turns dangerous only if you skimp on common sense or shortcut proven routines. That’s where real safety grows roots.
Dipropylamine stands out as a clear, colorless liquid with a faint smell—sort of fishy and unmistakable in a lab. Those who have handled it get familiar with the vapor after a while. At room temperature, it doesn’t hang around for long on the bench. It boils at about 110°C, way sooner than many other industrial chemicals, and its melting point drops well below freezing at around -46°C. Without diving into jargon, you could say if you spill it in the winter, you’ll still have a mess to mop up.
The chemical makeup, C6H15N, tells a lot about the way this compound acts. Dipropylamine mixes easily with alcohols, ethers, and water to some extent. The amine group—this little nitrogen with a couple of side arms—grabs hydrogen ions, especially in acidic situations. If you’ve ever watched a chemist neutralize an acid with an amine, you’ve seen a bit of dipropylamine’s chemical “personality.” It’s a good base. It turns litmus paper blue and gets right to work as a starting point for more complicated molecules in the factory or lab.
This amine doesn’t just sit quietly in a bottle. Uncapped, it’ll evaporate fast, so you catch the whiff easily. In the company of strong acids or oxidizers, things heat up—sometimes literally. It takes training to recognize when that reaction goes too far. I’ve seen spills foam up if an acid drip landed nearby. Dipropylamine burns, so keeping it away from open flames matters. If you get it on skin, it feels slippery at first and then can create irritation; lab veterans learn quick to wear gloves.
Factories use dipropylamine to make herbicides, pharmaceuticals, and even some rubber. Demand from agriculture can spike in the spring—farmers count on finished herbicides for new crops. The raw chemical, though, calls for careful transport. I remember handling drums in a storage yard. Even tiny leaks needed full attention since vapors build up in tight spaces. Regulatory groups flag dipropylamine for this reason—OSHA lists workplace safety levels; the ACGIH ceiling value is set around 5 ppm. Breathing in too much can cause headaches or worse. We had to monitor air quality at eye level near containers. For spills, neutralizing with weak acid and using absorbent pads worked best before final cleanup with lots of ventilation.
Every chemical that leaves a factory, even by accident, traces back to someone’s decision. Dipropylamine, if spilled, seeps into soil and finds its way into water faster than many solvents. Like other small amines, bacteria in wastewater plants break a fair amount down, but rapid leaks overwhelm those systems. I’ve watched efforts shift from containment only to “greener” production, with closed-loop processes that reuse solvent and minimize waste.
If industries want to keep impacts low, it pays to invest in better storage and leak detection. Installing sensors costs money up front, but saves on fines and cleanup later. Training matters, too. A new worker once assumed a face mask was optional, only to get a painful lesson after a splash. It’s these real stories that drive safer labs and production lines. Dipropylamine doesn’t care about safety manuals; people do.
| Names | |
| Preferred IUPAC name | N-propylpropan-1-amine |
| Other names |
N-Propylpropan-1-amine
Dipropylamine Di-n-propylamine N-Propylpropylamine 1-Aminodipropyl N-Propyl-1-propanamine |
| Pronunciation | /daɪˌprəʊ.pɪl.əˈmiːn/ |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS Number | 142-84-7 |
| 3D model (JSmol) | `CCNCCCN` |
| Beilstein Reference | 3201227 |
| ChEBI | CHEBI:37648 |
| ChEMBL | CHEMBL14733 |
| ChemSpider | 9964 |
| DrugBank | DB14096 |
| ECHA InfoCard | 03a003e6-0f54-4660-a7ae-997b1fc1352a |
| EC Number | 204-823-8 |
| Gmelin Reference | 8582 |
| KEGG | C01768 |
| MeSH | D000066242 |
| PubChem CID | 8020 |
| RTECS number | JN6475000 |
| UNII | Q9U6N3A6XV |
| UN number | UN2383 |
| Properties | |
| Chemical formula | C6H15N |
| Molar mass | 129.24 g/mol |
| Appearance | Colorless to yellowish liquid |
| Odor | Ammonia-like |
| Density | 0.718 g/cm³ |
| Solubility in water | Slightly soluble |
| log P | 0.97 |
| Vapor pressure | 0.8 mmHg (20°C) |
| Acidity (pKa) | 10.9 |
| Basicity (pKb) | 3.35 |
| Magnetic susceptibility (χ) | -8.05×10⁻⁶ cm³/mol |
| Refractive index (nD) | 1.408 |
| Viscosity | 1.56 mPa·s (20 °C) |
| Dipole moment | 2.90 D |
| Thermochemistry | |
| Std molar entropy (S⦵298) | 262.1 J·mol⁻¹·K⁻¹ |
| Std enthalpy of formation (ΔfH⦵298) | −51.7 kJ/mol |
| Std enthalpy of combustion (ΔcH⦵298) | -4077.7 kJ/mol |
| Hazards | |
| GHS labelling | GHS02, GHS07 |
| Pictograms | GHS02,GHS07 |
| Signal word | Danger |
| Hazard statements | H226, H302, H311, H314, H332 |
| Precautionary statements | P210, P233, P280, P303+P361+P353, P305+P351+P338, P403+P235 |
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | 1-3-0 |
| Flash point | 93 °C (closed cup) |
| Autoignition temperature | 346 °C |
| Explosive limits | 1.1–6.9% |
| Lethal dose or concentration | LD50 oral (rat): 280 mg/kg |
| LD50 (median dose) | LD50 (median dose): 280 mg/kg (oral, rat) |
| NIOSH | UN2810 |
| PEL (Permissible) | PEL: 5 ppm (17 mg/m³) |
| REL (Recommended) | 200 mg/m3 |
| IDLH (Immediate danger) | 400 ppm |
| Related compounds | |
| Related compounds |
Diethylamine
Dibutylamine Diisopropylamine Tripropylamine Mono-propylamine |
