Diethylamine

The alumina-catalyzed reaction makes diethylamine from ethanol and ammonia. Diethylamine is obtained together with ethylamine and triethylamine. Annual production of the three ethylamines was estimated in 2000 to be 80,000,000 kg. Diethylamine is used in the production of the corrosion inhibitor N,N-diethylaminoethanol, by reaction with ethylene oxide. It is also a precursor to a wide variety of other commercial products. It is also sometimes used in the illicit production of LSD. ==Organic chemistry==

As the most abundantly available secondary amine that is liquid at room temperature, diethylamine has been extensively deployed in chemical synthesis. Its reactions illustrate the pattern seen for many other dialkylamines. It participates in Mannich reactions involving the installation of diethylaminomethyl substituents.{{cite journal |doi=10.15227/orgsyn.027.0020 |author=C. F. H. Allen and J. A. VanAllan ==Supramolecular structure==

Diethylamine is the smallest and simplest molecule that features a supramolecular helix as its lowest energy aggregate. Other similarly sized hydrogen-bonding molecules favor cyclic structures. ==Safety==

Diethylamine has low toxicity, but the vapor causes transient impairment of vision. ==References==