Ethyleneimine

Description

Ethyleneimine is a colourless liquid with an ammonia-like smell or pungent odour. It is highly flammable and reacts with a wide variety of materials. Ethyleneimine is used in polymerisation products, as a monomer for polyethyleneimine and as a comonomer for polymers, for example, with ethylenediamine. Polymerised ethyleneimine is used in paper, textile chemicals, adhesive binders, petroleum, refining chemicals, fuels, lubricants, coating resins, varnishes, lacquers, agricultural chemicals, cosmetics, ion-exchange resins, photographic chemicals, colloid flocculants, and surfactants. Ethyleneimine readily polymerises, and it behaves like a secondary amine. Ethyleneimine is highly caustic, attacking materials such as cork, rubber, many plastics, metals, and glass except those without carbonate or borax. It polymerises explosively on contact with silver, aluminium, or acid. The activity of ethyleneimine is similar to that of nitrogen and sulphur mustards. Ethyleneimine is used as an intermediate in the production of triethylenemelamine.

The Uses of Ethyleneimine

Ethyleneimine is used to manufacture triethylenemelamine and is used in its polymeric form in paper and textile chemicals, adhesive binders, petroleum-refining chemicals, fuels and lubricants, coating resins, varnishes, lacquers, agricultural chemicals, cosmetics, ion-exchange resins, photographic chemicals, colloid flocculants, and surfactants.