Triethylamine (TEA) · 99% and 99.5% liquid, low-water and laboratory grades
Triethylamine is the tertiary ethylamine and the most widely used acid scavenger in fine chemical manufacture. Chelora Amines supplies it worldwide — to pharmaceutical, agrochemical, foundry, polyurethane and specialty chemical plants across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas, as well as throughout India. Packed in cans, drums, IBC totes or bulk, shipped in UN-specification packaging with a batch-wise COA and SDS.
72.06 + 15.12 + 14.01 = 101.19 g/mol
Triethylamine, almost always written TEA in a plant, is ammonia with all three hydrogens replaced by ethyl groups. It is a tertiary amine: the nitrogen still carries a lone pair and is a strong base, but there is no N–H bond, so it cannot be acylated and cannot end up in your product. That is not a limitation — it is the whole point. An acid scavenger has to take up HCl and then be washed away as a salt, and triethylamine does exactly that.
It is a colourless, mobile liquid boiling at 89.5 °C with a strong fishy ammoniacal odour, supplied neat at 99 to 99.5 percent rather than as a solution. One unusual property is worth knowing: its solubility in water falls as the temperature rises, so a solution that is clear in a cold vessel can turn cloudy and separate on warming.
Industrially it is made by reacting ethanol with ammonia over a catalyst. The reactor produces mono-, di- and triethylamine together and the three are separated by distillation — which is why the same producers usually supply all three, and why a triethylamine specification always states the diethylamine content.
| Chemical name | Triethylamine (N,N-diethylethanamine) |
| Common synonyms | TEA, TEN, tri-ethyl amine |
| CAS number | 121-44-8 |
| EC / EINECS number | 204-469-4 |
| HS / HSN code | 2921 19 (other acyclic monoamines; the full national code is stated on your invoice) |
| Molecular formula | (C₂H₅)₃N (C₆H₁₅N) |
| Molecular weight | 101.19 g/mol |
| Appearance | Clear, colourless, mobile liquid |
| Odour | Strong fish-like, ammoniacal |
| Melting point | −115 °C |
| Boiling point | 89.5 °C |
| Density | 0.725 – 0.729 g/cm³ at 20 °C |
| Flash point | About −11 °C (closed cup) |
| Vapour pressure | About 57–70 mbar at 20 °C |
| Solubility in water | About 55 g/L at 20 °C, and falling as temperature rises |
| pKa of conjugate acid | About 10.75 at 25 °C |
| pH | Strongly alkaline in aqueous solution |
| Flammability limits in air | Approximately 1.2 – 8.0 vol % |
| Auto-ignition temperature | About 215 °C |
| UN number | UN 1296, Class 3 with subsidiary 8, packing group II |
Figures are typical literature values for orientation. Values for the material you order are stated on its Certificate of Analysis and Safety Data Sheet.
One property explains almost everything triethylamine is used for: a strongly basic nitrogen with no hydrogen on it. It takes protons, catalyses reactions and forms salts, but it is never built into the product — so it can be added in excess and removed afterwards.
The headline use. In acylation, sulfonylation, silylation and phosphorylation, HCl is released and must be taken out of the way. Triethylamine binds it as the hydrochloride, which precipitates from most organic solvents and filters off.
RCOCl + R'OH + Et₃N → ester + Et₃N·HClCatalyses esterification, transesterification, aldol and Knoevenagel condensations, and epoxy and urethane cure. Because it is not consumed, a few mole percent is often enough.
pKa 10.75 at 25 °CDosed as a vapour in carrier gas, it cures a phenolic urethane core binder in seconds at room temperature. This is one of the largest single industrial outlets for the product.
vapour-phase cure, secondsForms triethylammonium salts with mineral and organic acids. These are used to solubilise acidic actives, as phase-transfer intermediates and as buffer components in preparative chromatography.
Et₃N + HCl → Et₃NH⁺Cl⁻Strips HX from alkyl halides to form alkenes, and from acid chlorides to generate ketenes in situ — a standard method in cycloaddition and beta-lactam chemistry.
R–CH₂CH₂X + Et₃N → alkeneAlkyl halides attack the lone pair to give tetraalkylammonium salts, used as phase-transfer catalysts, electrolytes and antistatic additives.
Et₃N + R–X → R(Et)₃N⁺X⁻Added at low concentration to HPLC mobile phases to suppress peak tailing on basic analytes, and as triethylammonium acetate buffer in oligonucleotide purification.
mobile-phase additiveWith no N–H bond, triethylamine does not form amides, ureas, carbamates, imines or sulfonamides. If your step needs any of those, you want diethylamine or ethylamine instead — and we will say so.
no N–H, no acylationProcess notes. Neutralisation is exothermic, so add triethylamine under control and keep cooling available. The hydrochloride is only sparingly soluble in most organic solvents, which is useful for filtration but can block a transfer line if the slurry is allowed to settle. Water content matters in acid chloride work, and the inverse water solubility means an aqueous wash behaves differently hot and cold — plan the work-up temperature deliberately.
Discuss your processPractically all commercial triethylamine comes from a catalytic amination route. Knowing how it is made explains why the specification always controls diethylamine and water — they come from the same plant.
Ethanol and ammonia are vaporised and mixed, with the feed ratio set to favour the fully substituted product.
The mixture passes over an acidic alumina, zeolite or metal-promoted catalyst at elevated temperature and pressure.
The reactor delivers mono-, di- and triethylamine together with unreacted ammonia, ethanol and water.
A distillation train, including an extractive column to break the azeotropes, splits the three ethylamines. Off-spec cuts and unreacted feed are recycled to the reactor.
Product is dried to the water specification, tested, then filled into cans, drums or totes under nitrogen and labelled for dispatch.
Triethylamine is bought precisely because it has no N–H bond, so the impurity that matters most is the one that does. Residual diethylamine is a secondary amine: it will react with your acid chloride, isocyanate or sulfonyl chloride and produce an amide impurity in the product the scavenger was supposed to stay out of. At 0.5 percent that is a real peak in a chromatogram, which is why tighter grades carry a lower limit.
Water is the second number to watch, for the same reason: it destroys the electrophile before your chemistry happens. If your step is sensitive to either, say so at enquiry stage and we will match the batch rather than send the standard commercial cut.
In sealed original packing, stored cool and out of sunlight, triethylamine is normally used within twelve months, and we recommend a re-check of assay, water and colour after that before a critical batch. The material does not "go off" so much as drift: air and carbon dioxide ingress form carbonate and raise the APHA colour, and repeated opening of a part-used drum is the usual cause.
Keep drums closed between draws, blanket bulk tanks with nitrogen where you can, and avoid storing part-used packs next to a heat source. A retained sample of each batch is held here, so if a consignment is ever queried we can test against the original.
Tell us the step you are running and how much water and secondary amine it tolerates, and we will confirm the grade. Commercial grade covers most production use; tighter grades exist for regulated and moisture-sensitive work.
For foundry cold-box catalysis, urethane and epoxy cure, and general neutralisation duty where trace amide formation does not matter.
The everyday pharmaceutical and agrochemical grade for acylation, sulfonylation and salt formation.
Dried further, with a tighter diethylamine limit, for acid chloride, isocyanate and organometallic chemistry.
Including HPLC-suitable material for mobile-phase and buffer use, with low residue and UV-transparent specification.
| Parameter | Test method | Typical specification |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Visual | Clear, colourless liquid, free from suspended matter |
| Assay (triethylamine) | GC | ≥ 99.5 % w/w |
| Diethylamine | GC | ≤ 0.3 % w/w |
| Monoethylamine | GC | ≤ 0.1 % w/w |
| Water | Karl Fischer | ≤ 0.2 % w/w |
| Colour | APHA | ≤ 15 |
| Distillation range | ASTM D1078 | 88 – 91 °C |
| Density at 20 °C | Densitometer | 0.725 – 0.729 g/cm³ |
| Non-volatile matter | Gravimetric | ≤ 0.02 % w/w |
| Iron (Fe) | AAS | ≤ 1 ppm |
Indicative specification for planning. The controlling document is the Certificate of Analysis issued for your batch. If your process needs tighter limits on water or diethylamine, say so at enquiry stage and we will quote against your specification.
Most enquiries here are really a question about which base to scavenge acid with. Triethylamine is the default for good reasons, but it is not always the right answer — this is the honest comparison.
| Point of comparison | Triethylamine | Diisopropylethylamine | Pyridine | Inorganic base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basicity (pKa of conjugate acid) | About 10.75 | About 11.0 | About 5.2 | Varies widely |
| Steric hindrance | Moderate | High — rarely alkylated | Low, but aromatic | Not applicable |
| Salt behaviour | Hydrochloride precipitates from most organic solvents | Similar, sometimes more soluble | Salt often stays in solution | Stays in the aqueous phase |
| Removal | Filter the salt, then strip the excess by distillation | Higher boiling, harder to strip | Odour and toxicity make removal a priority | Aqueous wash |
| Cost per mole | Low | High | Moderate | Lowest |
| Typical use | Routine acylation, sulfonylation, esterification, cold-box catalysis | Peptide coupling and steps where the base must not be alkylated | Acylation where a weaker base helps selectivity | Biphasic reactions that tolerate water |
Three products, one reactor, very different chemistry. Ordering the wrong one is the most expensive mistake a purchase team can make with this family, and abbreviations are usually how it happens.
| Property | Triethylamine (TEA) | Diethylamine (DEA) | Ethylamine |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAS number | 121-44-8 | 109-89-7 | 75-04-7 |
| Formula | (C₂H₅)₃N | (C₂H₅)₂NH | C₂H₅NH₂ |
| Molecular weight | 101.19 | 73.14 | 45.08 |
| Amine class | Tertiary — no N–H bond | Secondary — one N–H bond free | Primary — two N–H bonds free |
| Boiling point | 89.5 °C | 55.5 °C | 16.6 °C |
| State at 25 °C | Liquid | Liquid | Gas; supplied as a solution |
| pKa of conjugate acid | About 10.75 | About 11.0 | About 10.7 |
| Typical outlets | Acid scavenger, foundry cold-box catalyst, quaternary ammonium compounds, chromatography | Rubber accelerators, insect repellents, pharma intermediates, corrosion inhibitors | Triazine herbicides, pharma intermediates, dyes |
| Can it be further substituted? | No — only quaternised | Yes, once | Yes, twice |
A warning about "TEA". In the chemical trade those three letters are used for both triethylamine and triethanolamine, CAS 102-71-6, which is an entirely different product — a viscous, high-boiling amino alcohol used in cement grinding aids and cosmetics, not a volatile flammable base. The same trap sits on the other two: DEA can mean diethanolamine or diethylamine, and MEA can mean monoethanolamine or monoethylamine. Always write the full chemical name with the CAS number on the enquiry and the purchase order.
See the full amine rangeMost triethylamine consumption sits in two places: as an acid scavenger in pharmaceutical and agrochemical synthesis, and as the gaseous catalyst in foundry core making. Here is the full picture, sector by sector.
The standard base for acylation, sulfonylation, silylation and peptide coupling steps, for salt formation and pH adjustment, and as a mobile-phase modifier in analytical and preparative chromatography.
The amine cold-box process uses triethylamine vapour to cure phenolic urethane binders in seconds, producing dimensionally accurate sand cores for automotive and engineering castings.
An acid binder in the manufacture of herbicide, insecticide and fungicide actives, and a base used to form water-soluble salts for liquid formulations.
A catalyst for flexible foam, adhesives and coatings, an amine neutraliser for water-borne resin systems, and a curing accelerator in epoxy and acrylic chemistry.
Alkylated to give tetraalkylammonium salts used as phase-transfer catalysts, electrolytes for capacitors and batteries, and antistatic and conditioning additives.
An intermediate for corrosion inhibitors and scale control chemistry, and a pH regulator in metalworking fluids and industrial cleaning formulations.
Used as an acid binder in dye and pigment synthesis, as a levelling and fixing auxiliary, and in the chemistry behind sizing and wet-end additives.
A standard reagent base on every synthetic bench, a peak-tailing suppressor in reversed-phase HPLC, and the amine in triethylammonium acetate buffer for oligonucleotide purification.
Unlike the primary and secondary amines, triethylamine is mostly consumed as a reagent rather than built into a product. These are the derivatives it does form, and the product classes it enables.
| Product | Role of triethylamine | End use |
|---|---|---|
| Triethylamine hydrochloride (CAS 554-68-7) | Neutralisation with hydrochloric acid | Reagent and catalyst in synthesis; also recovered and recycled from scavenging steps |
| Triethylammonium acetate buffer | Neutralisation with acetic acid | Ion-pairing buffer for oligonucleotide and peptide purification |
| Tetraalkylammonium salts | Quaternisation with alkyl halides | Phase-transfer catalysts, capacitor and battery electrolytes, antistatic agents |
| Foundry sand cores | Vapour-phase catalyst for phenolic urethane binder | Automotive, engineering and pipe castings |
| Esters, amides and sulfonamides | Acid scavenger during acylation and sulfonylation | Pharmaceutical actives, agrochemicals and fine chemicals |
| Silyl-protected intermediates | Base for silylation with chlorosilanes | Protecting group chemistry in API and nucleoside synthesis |
| Ketene cycloaddition products | Dehydrohalogenation of acid chlorides | Beta-lactam and cyclobutanone chemistry |
| Water-borne resin neutralisation | Amine neutraliser for acid-functional resins | Water-based coatings, inks and adhesives |
| Polyurethane foam systems | Blow and gel catalyst | Flexible foam, adhesives and sealants |
| Corrosion inhibitor packages | Base and intermediate | Metalworking fluids, cooling water and industrial cleaners |
Looking for one of these rather than the amine itself? Ask us — several are within our sourcing network, and we can quote the derivative and the raw material together.
Every container carries the Chelora Amines label with product name, grade, net weight, batch number, manufacturing date, UN number and hazard pictograms.
Tinplate cans and HDPE carboys for lab qualification, pilot batches and low-consumption users.
200 litre MS drums, the standard production pack for the neat liquid.
Forklift-ready totes with bottom valves for plants drawing triethylamine every week.
ISO tanks and road tankers for foundries and plants with bulk flammable-liquid storage.
Share your monthly consumption, the water tolerance of your step and your storage setup, and we will recommend the grade, pack size and delivery schedule that keeps your plant running without excess inventory. Export consignments are packed in UN-specification containers, palletised and stretch-wrapped, and shipped FOB, CIF or CFR through Nhava Sheva and Mundra.
Plan my supplyTriethylamine has a flash point around −11 °C and a vapour that is heavier than air. The notes below are a summary for planning only — always work to the Safety Data Sheet supplied with your consignment and your own site risk assessment.
Triethylamine is a regulated product in transport and, in several countries, subject to end-use checks. Both are routine for us, but they shape what we need from you before a first shipment moves.
| Proper shipping name | Triethylamine |
| UN number | UN 1296 |
| Hazard class | Class 3, subsidiary risk 8 |
| Packing group | II |
| Labels | Flame and corrosion pictograms |
| Modes | Road, sea (IMDG) and air subject to quantity limits |
| Segregation | Away from acids, oxidisers, halogens and hypochlorites |
| Bulk movement | ISO tanks and road tankers, to the tank instruction stated on the DG declaration |
We supply triethylamine only against verified company credentials and a stated industrial end use, and we decline enquiries that cannot be tied to a legitimate manufacturing or research process. This protects both sides and keeps shipments moving through customs without delay.
Start account opening| Parameter | Specification | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Clear, colourless liquid | Complies |
| Assay (GC) | ≥ 99.5 % | Complies |
| Diethylamine | ≤ 0.3 % | Complies |
| Water (KF) | ≤ 0.2 % | Complies |
| Colour (APHA) | ≤ 15 | Complies |
Triethylamine is checked before dispatch and each consignment leaves with the paperwork your QC, stores and accounts teams need on day one.
The numbers on a Certificate of Analysis are only useful if you know how they were produced. These are the methods behind the figures on ours, and the checks worth repeating at your own goods-inward.
Separates triethylamine from diethylamine, monoethylamine and ammonia in one run. The diethylamine number is the one your process chemist will look at first.
Water determination, which for acid chloride and isocyanate chemistry often decides the yield before any other variable.
An independent check on total amine content, useful as a quick goods-inward confirmation before a drum is released to production.
A boiling range of 88 to 91 °C confirms identity and shows up lighter amines or solvent carry-over.
A visual platinum–cobalt comparison. A rising colour value is the earliest sign that a pack has been exposed to air or held too long.
Fast confirmation that the material is what the label says, and a simple way to spot dilution or the wrong pack.
Gravimetric residue and trace metal checks, which matter for catalytic steps and for any product going into a regulated formulation.
A sample from every dispatched batch is held here, so a query months later can be settled against the original material rather than an argument.
Where your customer or regulator needs an independent result, we can arrange analysis at a NABL-accredited laboratory before dispatch.
Five steps for a first order of triethylamine. Repeat orders follow the same route on a schedule that matches your consumption.
Grade and water limit, quantity, pack size and delivery location.
We confirm the grade for your step and quote, usually within 24 hours.
The batch is tested and the COA, SDS and invoice details are prepared.
Labelled packs move by road, or in UN-spec packaging for export.
Material reaches your gate and repeat dispatches are scheduled to your usage.
Triethylamine is a commodity on a price list and a headache in a warehouse. What separates suppliers is the grade flexibility, the paperwork and the answer you get when something is not routine.
Triethylamine sits alongside the other ethylamines, methylamines, ethanolamines and fatty amines we supply. Your purchase team raises one enquiry, compares one quote and manages one vendor record instead of six.
The secondary amine impurity is the one that shows up as an amide in your product, so it is quoted and certified against your limit rather than left at a generic commercial figure.
COA, SDS, correct HSN and HS codes, dangerous goods declarations and certificates of origin are prepared with the consignment, not chased afterwards by your logistics team.
Technical grade for cold-box core making and tighter grades for regulated synthesis come from the same vendor record, so one supplier covers both plants.
Once we know your monthly draw we hold and release material on a schedule, so you carry less inventory of a highly flammable product than you otherwise would.
Describe the reaction rather than the product code and we will tell you which grade fits — and say so plainly when a different base would serve you better.
Buyers who order triethylamine usually source these from the same list. Open any product for its specification, grades and packing, or see the full product range.
Container shipments to buyers on five continents, plus road dispatch inside India. Tell us your country and destination port and we will quote landed terms, transit time and the documentation your customs broker will ask for.
United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa.
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand.
Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Czechia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and the Caribbean, shipped in UN-specification packaging with full DG documentation.
| Incoterms quoted | EXW, FOB, CFR, CIF and DAP, depending on your destination and preference |
| Load ports | Nhava Sheva (JNPT) and Mundra, with Chennai and Kolkata used for eastbound routings |
| Container options | Full container loads, consolidated LCL shipments, and ISO tanks for bulk |
| Typical container fill | Around 80 drums of about 145 kg, or roughly 18 to 20 IBC totes, in a 20 ft container |
| Packing for export | UN-specification drums and totes, palletised, strapped and stretch-wrapped, with DG labelling |
| Air freight | Possible for small quantities within dangerous goods limits; bulk moves by sea or road |
| Payment terms | Advance, irrevocable letter of credit or agreed credit terms for established accounts |
| Before first shipment | Company credentials, end-use declaration and any import permit the destination country requires |
Road dispatch from our Mumbai base to industrial clusters in 16 states and Delhi. Open your state for the local industries we serve and the amines they order most.
Most delays in quoting triethylamine come from a missing line in the enquiry, not from availability. Send these eight details and a firm price usually comes back the same day.
Not sure of some of it yet? Send what you have. A description of the reaction step and an approximate monthly volume is enough for us to come back with a recommended grade, a pack plan and an indicative price.
Send an enquiryPlain definitions of the words that appear on a triethylamine specification, label and shipping document.
Short answers to what purchase, plant and QC teams ask us most about this product. Anything else, ask us directly.
Send the grade, water limit, quantity, pack size and your delivery address or destination port. We come back with a price, the documents that go with the batch and a dispatch or shipping plan, usually within 24 hours.