Naming Amines: Study with Video Lessons, Practice Problems & Examples

Amines are compounds with one or more alkyl groups attached to a nitrogen atom, following a unique naming system. For primary amines, the IUPAC name is derived from the corresponding alkane by replacing the "e" with "amine" and indicating the nitrogen's position. Secondary and tertiary amines can be symmetrical (identical alkyl groups) or asymmetrical (at least one different group). The largest carbon chain is named first, followed by other alkyl groups as substituents, using prefixes like "n-" for non-identical groups. Proper formatting includes commas for numbers and dashes between letters and numbers.

Common Naming: Amines Concept 1

In this video, we're going to take a look at how to name amines. Now, amines are compounds that have one or more alkyl groups connected to a nitrogen atom. Here we're going to say that amines have a unique naming system. Here, we're going to have our substituents connected to our nitrogen, so our substituents will form the beginning of the name, and we end the name with "amine." So remember this when we start naming these different types of amines that we're about to see.

Common Naming: Amines Example 1

Here we're told to write a name for the following amine. Alright. So we're going to do that by employing these three steps. Step 1 says to identify the alkyl groups connected to the nitrogen atom. Step 2 says to name the alkyl groups alphabetically as substitutes. If there are identical alkyl groups, use the numerical prefixes of di or tri. And then step 3, we end the name of the compound with "amine". When we're writing out the name, we write the name without dashes or spaces. So here if we take a look, this is a 3 carbon alkyl group. The bond is on the middle carbon, so this represents isopropyl. And here we name the, we add to the end of the name, "amine." So all one word, isopropylamine. This will be the name of this particular amine.

Draw structure for tert-butylamine.

• A.
• B.
• C.
• D.

Write a name for the following amine.

• A. tert-butylpropylamine
• B. sec-butylpropylamine
• C. tert-butylipropylamine
• D. sec-butylisopropylamine

Name the following compound.

• A. trimethylamine
• B. 3,3,3-ethylamine
• C. tetramethylamine
• D. triethylamine

IUPAC Naming: Primary Amines Concept 2

So here we're going to use the IUPAC naming system for primary amines. Now the carbon chain here is named as an alkane, but here we're going to change the ending of the alkane name from 'e' to 'amine'. And we're going to use numbers to indicate the location of the nitrogen. If we look at this structure here, we have to write the systematic name for the following amine. So this would be carbon 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Six carbons is hexane, but remember it's an amine, not just a simple alkane anymore, so the 'e' gets dropped out. It becomes hexanamine, and then we have to locate where the nitrogen is located, which is found on carbon number 1. So we'd say that this is 1-hexanamine. This would be the name of this particular primary amine.

IUPAC Naming: Symmetrical vs Asymmetrical Amines Concept 3

In this video, we're going to take a look at how we name symmetrical versus asymmetrical amines. Now, here we're going to say that secondary and tertiary amines can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. By symmetrical, we mean that all alkyl groups are identical. For asymmetrical, that means at least one alkyl group is different. If we take a look here, it says provide a systematic name for the following amine. Well, this structure is asymmetrical because my two alkyl groups are not the same. So step 0, if symmetrical, follow steps in common naming. Well, here it's not symmetrical, so we can ignore step 0.

Step 1, we're going to say if asymmetrical, we're going to identify the largest carbon chain connected to nitrogen and name it as an amine. Here we're going to use numerical location to indicate the location of nitrogen. So the larger chain is this one, so we're going to number it from the end closest to the nitrogen. So 1,2,3. Three carbons is propane, but we drop the 'e' ending to amine, so it becomes propanamine. Then we're going to say here that the nitrogen is connected to carbon number 1, so this would be 1-propanamine.

Now go to step 2. Name other alkyl groups alphabetically as N-substituents. If they are identical alkyl groups, use the numerical prefix di. Well, here, this one is 1, 2 carbons. It's an ethyl. It's attached to the nitrogen, so it's an N-ethyl. So this would be N-ethyl-1-propanamine.

Now step 3, this is stuff we've known from long ago in terms of naming different types of organic molecules. So here we'd use, to separate numbers, we'd use commas. And to separate letters from numbers, we'd use dashes. Letters are not separated from letters. All right. So again, step 3 is something we've been doing consistently when it comes to naming under the IUPAC naming system, so that’s why it's kind of grayed out in this box. It's something that you should always have in the back of your mind in terms of naming. But for this particular amine, it's N-ethyl-1-propanamine as the name.

Provide an IUPAC name for the following.

• A. tripropylamine
• B. N-tripropylamine
• C. tripropyl amine
• D. N-tripropyl amine

Name molecule using IUPAC naming system.

• A. N-isopropyl-N-benzene amine
• B. N-isopropylbenzene amine
• C. N-propylaniline
• D. N-isopropylbenzenamine

Provide a systematic name for following molecule.

• A. isobutylmethylpentylamine
• B. N-isobutyl-N-methyl-2-pentanamine
• C. isobutylmethylpentyl amine
• D. N-isobutyl-N-methylpentanamine

Provide a systematic name for following molecule.

• A. 2-methyl-3-hexyl-1-propanamine
• B. 3-isopropyl-N-propyl-3-butanamine
• C. N-methyl-N-propyl-3-hexanamine
• D. 2-methyl-N-propyl-3-hexanamine

Here’s what students ask on this topic:

What is the IUPAC naming system for primary amines?

The IUPAC naming system for primary amines involves naming the carbon chain as an alkane but replacing the 'e' at the end with 'amine'. The position of the nitrogen atom is indicated by a number. For example, if the nitrogen is attached to the first carbon of a hexane chain, the name would be 1-hexanamine. This systematic approach ensures clarity in identifying the structure of the amine.

How do you name secondary and tertiary amines?

Secondary and tertiary amines can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. For symmetrical amines, where all alkyl groups are identical, the naming follows the common naming system. For asymmetrical amines, identify the largest carbon chain connected to the nitrogen and name it as an amine, indicating the nitrogen's position. Other alkyl groups are named as substituents with the prefix 'N-'. For example, N-ethyl-1-propanamine indicates an ethyl group attached to the nitrogen of a propanamine chain.

What is the difference between symmetrical and asymmetrical amines?

Symmetrical amines have identical alkyl groups attached to the nitrogen atom, while asymmetrical amines have at least one different alkyl group. This distinction affects the naming process. Symmetrical amines follow a simpler naming convention, whereas asymmetrical amines require identifying the largest carbon chain and naming other groups as substituents with the prefix 'N-'.

How do you indicate the position of the nitrogen in the IUPAC name of an amine?

In the IUPAC naming system, the position of the nitrogen atom in an amine is indicated by a number. This number is placed before the name of the amine. For example, in 1-hexanamine, the '1' indicates that the nitrogen is attached to the first carbon of the hexane chain. This numbering ensures precise identification of the nitrogen's location within the molecule.

What are the steps to name an asymmetrical amine?

To name an asymmetrical amine, follow these steps: 1) Identify the largest carbon chain connected to the nitrogen and name it as an amine, indicating the nitrogen's position. 2) Name other alkyl groups as substituents with the prefix 'N-'. 3) Use numerical prefixes like 'di-' if identical alkyl groups are present. For example, N-ethyl-1-propanamine indicates an ethyl group attached to the nitrogen of a propanamine chain.