The key difference between ethylamine and aniline is that ethylamine is an aliphatic compound, while aniline is an aromatic compound.
Both ethylamine and aniline are organic compounds having the amine group (-NH2). In ethylamine, the amine group attaches to an ethyl group, but in aniline, the amine group attaches to a benzene ring.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Ethylamine
3. What is Aniline
4. Side by Side Comparison – Ethylamine vs Aniline in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Ethylamine?
Ethylamine is an aliphatic organic compound having the chemical formula CH3CH2NH2. It occurs as a colourless gas and has a strong odour similar to ammonia. Usually, it is miscible with all the solvents. The molar mass of this compound is 45.08 g/mol.
Figure 01: Structure of Ethylamine
In the synthesis of ethylamine, there are two major processes for the large scale production of this compound. The most common method is the reaction between ethanol and ammonia in the presence of a catalyst. The other common method is the reductive amination of acetaldehyde.
There are several important applications of ethylamine. It is a precursor to the production of herbicides such as atrazine and simazine. Moreover, it is a useful precursor for the synthesis of cyclidine dissociative anaesthetic agents.
What is Aniline?
Aniline is an aromatic organic compound having the chemical formula C6H5NH2. It has a benzene ring (a phenyl group) attached to an amine group (-NH2). It is the simplest aromatic amine because there are no components other than the amine group and the aromatic ring. Also, this compound is slightly pyramidalized and is flatter than an aliphatic amine. Its molar mass is 93.13 g/mol. Furthermore, its melting point is −6.3 °C while the boiling point is 184.13 °C. It has the odour of rotten fish.
Industrially, we can produce this compound via two steps. The first step is the nitration of benzene with a concentrated mixture of nitric acid and sulfuric acid (at 50 to 60 °C). It gives nitrobenzene. Then we can hydrogenate nitrobenzene into aniline in the presence of a metal catalyst. The reaction is as follows:
Moreover, concerning the usage, this compound is mainly used in the manufacture of polyurethane precursors. Apart from that, we can use this compound in the production of dyes, drugs, explosive materials, plastics, photographic and rubbery chemicals, etc.
What is the Difference Between Ethylamine and Aniline?
Ethylamine is an aliphatic organic compound having the chemical formula CH3CH2NH2 while aniline is an aromatic organic compound having the chemical formula C6H5NH2. The key difference between ethylamine and aniline is that ethylamine is an aliphatic compound, while aniline is an aromatic compound. Besides, ethylamine occurs as a colourless gas, but aniline occurs as a colourless to yellow liquid.
When considering the production processes, there are two processes for ethylamine: the reaction between ethanol and ammonia in the presence of a catalyst and reductive amination of acetaldehyde. Moreover, for aniline, there are two steps for production: nitration of benzene with a concentrated mixture of nitric acid and sulfuric acid followed by hydrogenating nitrobenzene into aniline in the presence of a metal catalyst.
Below infographic gives more facts on the difference between ethylamine and aniline.
Summary – Ethylamine vs Aniline
Ethylamine is an aliphatic organic compound having the chemical formula CH3CH2NH2 while Aniline is an aromatic organic compound having the chemical formula C6H5NH2. In summary, the key difference between ethylamine and aniline is that ethylamine is an aliphatic compound, while aniline is an aromatic compound.
Reference:
1. “Aniline.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 June 2019, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Ethylamine-2D-flat” By Hermann Luyken – Own work (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Aniline from Nitrobenzene” By Benjah-bmm27 – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia