Naming primary amines

Compounds in which the principal functional group is the amino functional group (–NH2 ) are called amines and so ‘amine’ should appear in the systematic name.

 

 

 
We will look at primary amines only. That is when the nitrogen is attached to only one carbon atom on the carbon chain of an organic molecule.

Step 1 We identify the longest carbon chain in the molecule. that includes the amino group (-NH2). Number the carbons so that the amino group is on the lowest number carbon.


Step 2 Replace the "e" of the alkyl group with the longest chain is changed to "amine".



Step 3 The chain is numbered to locate the amino group and substituents. |
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Past exam question

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What about if an amine has two NH2 groups? Will we count the longest carbon chain that exists between the two groups, keep the end "e", number the carbons so they have the lowest numbers and use the suffix diamine. Lets see some examples

 
Propane-1,3-diamine
Hexane-1,4-diamine
Continue with secondary and tertiary amines.

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