Triethanolamine（2-[Bis-(2-hydroxy-ethyl)-amino]-ethano）

Chemical nature

Triethanolamine is a colorless oily liquid with the smell of ammonia. It is easy to absorb water and will turn into brown color when being exposed to the air and the light. At low temperature, it will become colorless or pale yellow cubic crystal. It is miscible with water, methanol and acetone. It is soluble in benzene, ether, slightly soluble in carbon tetrachloride, n-heptane. It is a kind of strong alkaline, combining with protons, can be used for condensation reaction.

Applications

In analytical chemistry, triethanolamine can be used as the stationary phase for the gas liquid chromatography (the maximum temperature is 75 ℃ with the solvent being methanol and ethanol), used for the separation of pyridine and methyl substitutes. In the complexometric titration and other analysis, it can be used as a masking agent for interfering ions. For example, in a solution of pH = 10, when we apply EDTA for titration of magnesium, zinc, cadmium, calcium, nickel and other ions, the reagent can be used for masking titanium, aluminum, iron, tin and some other ions. In addition, it can also be dubbed with hydrochloric acid into a buffer solution of a certain pH value.

Triethanolamine is mainly used in the manufacture of surfactants, liquid detergents, cosmetics and so on. It is one of the components of cutting fluid and antifreeze fluid. During the nitrile rubber polymerization, it can be used as an activator, being the vulcanization activator of natural rubber and synthetic rubber. It can also be used as the emulsifiers of oil, wax and pesticides, the moisturizer and stabilizer of cosmetics, textile softeners as well as the anti-corrosion additives of lubricants. Triethanolamine is also capable of absorbing carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide and other gases. During the cleaning of the coke oven gas and other industrial gases, it can be used for removal of acid gases. It is also a commonly used masking agent in the EDTA titration assay.

Physical form

colourless/pale yellow liquid

Shelf life

According to our experience, the product can be stored for 12 months from the date of delivery if kept in tightly sealed containers, protected from light and heat and stored at temperatures between 5 - 30°C.

Typical properties

Boiling Point

190-193 °C/5 mmHg (lit.)

Melting point t

17.9-21 °C (lit.)

Density

1.124 g/mL at 25 °C (lit.)

Refractive index

n20/D 1.485(lit.)

Fp

365 °F

Vapour Pressure

0.01 mm Hg ( 20 °C)

LogP

-2.3 at 25℃

pka

7.8(at 25℃)

PH

10.5-11.5 (25℃, 1M in H2O)