Trientine · TECZA · N,N′-bis(2-aminoethyl)ethylenediamine · Technical and distilled grades
Triethylenetetramine is the third step up the ethyleneamine ladder: four nitrogens, six active hydrogens, and an amine hydrogen equivalent weight of about 24.4 that puts it at a comfortable thirteen parts per hundred against standard epoxy resin. It cures a little slower than DETA and gives a tougher, less brittle network, which is why it dominates civil and marine coatings work. One thing to know before you specify it: ordinary technical TETA is not a single molecule but a defined mixture of the linear amine and its branched and cyclic relatives. Chelora Amines supplies both the technical grade and distilled linear TETA, with a batch-wise COA and SDS on every dispatch.
72.07 + 18.14 + 56.03 = 146.23 g/mol
Triethylenetetramine — TETA, trientine, N,N′-bis(2-aminoethyl)ethylenediamine — is a pale yellow to amber liquid, noticeably more viscous than DETA, miscible with water and strongly alkaline. It is a corrosive but not a flammable liquid: the flash point sits near 130 °C.
In epoxy it is the step up from DETA that most formulators eventually take. Six active hydrogens on 146 g/mol give an amine hydrogen equivalent weight of about 24.4 and a mix ratio near thirteen parts per hundred — more forgiving to weigh, slower to exotherm, and giving a tougher and less brittle network. For civil engineering coatings, marine maintenance, flooring and large castings, that combination usually wins.
The thing to understand before specifying is the product's composition. Ordinary technical TETA is a defined mixture: linear TETA plus the branched tris(2-aminoethyl)amine and the piperazine-containing amines formed alongside it in the reactor. All of them cure epoxy, but they differ in functionality, viscosity and colour. Distilled linear TETA is available where a reproducible single molecule matters — notably in pharmaceutical and specialty synthesis, where trientine is an established active substance in its own right.
| Chemical name | Triethylenetetramine |
| Common synonyms | TETA, trientine, TECZA, N,N′-bis(2-aminoethyl)ethylenediamine, 1,2-ethanediamine, N,N′-bis(2-aminoethyl)- |
| CAS number | 112-24-3 |
| EC / EINECS number | 203-950-6 |
| HS / HSN code | 2921 29 (other acyclic polyamines; HSN 2921 29 on Indian invoices) |
| Molecular formula | C₆H₁₈N₄ (H₂N(C₂H₄NH)₂C₂H₄NH₂) |
| Molecular weight | 146.23 g/mol |
| Appearance | Pale yellow to amber liquid |
| Odour | Strong ammoniacal odour |
| Freezing point | About −35 °C |
| Boiling point | About 266 °C at atmospheric pressure |
| Density | About 0.982 g/cm³ at 20 °C |
| Viscosity | About 25 mPa·s at 25 °C |
| Solubility in water | Completely miscible; also miscible with alcohols and glycols |
| Amine value | About 1510–1550 mg KOH/g |
| Amine hydrogen equivalent weight | About 24.4 (six active hydrogens per molecule) |
| Flash point | About 130 °C (closed cup) — not a flammable liquid |
| UN number | UN 2259, Triethylenetetramine, Class 8, Packing Group II |
Figures are typical values for the technical grade. Distilled linear TETA differs on viscosity, colour and amine value. All values for the material you order are stated on its Certificate of Analysis and Safety Data Sheet.
Two primary amines, two secondary, six active hydrogens. The chemistry is DETA's chemistry with another nitrogen on it — the differences are in rate, ratio and the properties of what comes out.
Each N–H adds across an epoxide ring. Six active hydrogens at an AHEW of about 24.4 put the ratio near thirteen parts per hundred of standard resin, with a slower exotherm than DETA.
AHEW ≈ 24.4 · 6 active HPre-reacting part of the amine with epoxy resin or a monofunctional diluent lowers volatility, reduces blush and lifts the mix ratio into an even easier range — the basis of most commercial TETA hardeners.
TETA + epoxide → amine adductCondensation with dimer acid gives reactive polyamides used as flexible epoxy co-curatives and as binders in printing inks and hot-melt adhesives.
TETA + dimer acid → polyamideCondensation with fatty acids and ring closure gives imidazolines carrying pendant aminoethyl groups — the oilfield inhibitor and asphalt emulsifier backbone.
TETA + RCOOH → imidazolineReaction with polyisobutylene succinic anhydride gives higher-nitrogen ashless dispersants with more sites to hold soot and sludge in suspension.
PIBSA + TETA → succinimideFour nitrogens wrap a metal ion through three fused chelate rings, binding copper particularly strongly — the basis of its pharmaceutical use as a copper chelator.
Cu²⁺ + TETA → [Cu(TETA)]²⁺Reacts reversibly with carbon dioxide to give carbamate. Useful in gas treating and solid sorbent work, and the reason storage needs nitrogen blanketing.
TETA + CO₂ ⇌ carbamateA strong tetrafunctional base, forming salts with mineral and organic acids. Trientine hydrochloride and tetrahydrochloride are established pharmaceutical forms.
TETA + HCl → amine saltTechnical TETA is a mixture, not a molecule. Ordinary technical grade contains linear TETA together with tris(2-aminoethyl)amine and the piperazine-containing amines formed in the same reactor. For coatings and adhesives that is usually fine and is what the published cure data is based on. For pharmaceutical synthesis, analytical work or any process that depends on a single defined substance, specify the distilled linear grade and say so at enquiry stage — the two are not interchangeable.
Specify the right gradeTETA comes out of the same ethyleneamine plant as EDA and DETA. The difference is that by this point in the chain the reaction has had enough opportunities to branch and cyclise that separation is a genuine engineering problem.
Either ethylene dichloride with excess ammonia, or ethanolamine with ammonia and hydrogen over a catalyst, depending on the plant.
Amination gives the full ethyleneamine slate. At the TETA carbon number the product includes linear, branched and piperazine-containing isomers.
On the dichloride route the amine hydrochlorides are neutralised with caustic and the brine separated from the amine phase.
Vacuum distillation separates the TETA cut from DETA below and TEPA above. A further, sharper distillation isolates the linear isomer.
Product is filled under nitrogen into drums or IBCs, or loaded to road or ISO tank, with the batch sampled for COA before release.
The isomers that accompany linear TETA are not impurities in the ordinary sense — they are amines in their own right, they cure epoxy, and the cure data most formulators work from was generated on the technical mixture. What they are not is identical. The branched tris(2-aminoethyl)amine has three primary amines and cures faster; the piperazine-containing amines carry tertiary nitrogens that catalyse rather than react, and they shift viscosity and colour. For a coating that is noise within the normal batch variation. For pharmaceutical synthesis, for analytical reference work or for any process registered against a single substance, it is not — and the distilled linear grade exists for exactly that reason. Decide which you need before you buy, because the price difference is significant and so is the qualification effort if you switch later.
TETA is supplied darker than DETA and continues to darken on air exposure, moving towards amber and brown. The change has little effect on cure but is visible in clear coatings, so colour-critical users should specify a limit and keep stock turning rather than holding it. Like all the ethyleneamines it absorbs carbon dioxide and moisture readily, and the carbamate that forms can deposit solids in tanks, lines and vents; keep storage sealed and nitrogen-blanketed with a carbon dioxide absorber on long-term vents. Carbon steel is generally suitable, stainless preferred where colour matters, and copper, copper alloys, aluminium and zinc should be avoided throughout. In sealed, blanketed storage TETA normally holds specification for twenty-four months.
The first question is not purity but composition: do you need the technical amine mixture or the isolated linear molecule?
The working grade for epoxy curing agents, polyamide resins, lubricant and oilfield additives and general formulation.
Isolated linear isomer at high purity for pharmaceutical and specialty synthesis, analytical work and registered applications.
Highest purity for analytical, research and reference use, supplied in small sealed packs with full batch documentation.
| Parameter | Test method | Typical specification |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Visual | Pale yellow to amber liquid, free of suspended matter |
| Total amine content | GC | ≥ 97.0% w/w |
| Water | Karl Fischer | ≤ 0.5% w/w |
| Colour | APHA / Hazen | ≤ 100 |
| Density at 20 °C | Densitometer | 0.980 – 0.985 g/cm³ |
| Amine value | Potentiometric titration | 1510 – 1550 mg KOH/g |
| Viscosity at 25 °C | Rotational | 20 – 30 mPa·s |
| Diethylenetriamine | GC | ≤ 1.0% w/w |
| Non-volatile residue | Gravimetric | ≤ 0.1% w/w |
Indicative specification for planning. The controlling document is the Certificate of Analysis issued for your batch. Distilled linear grade is quoted against your own specification sheet, including linear isomer content.
Epoxy coatings and adhesives take most of it, with lubricant, oilfield and specialty chemistry accounting for the rest.
Civil and marine coatings, industrial flooring, tank and pipe linings, adhesives, grouts and large castings — the slower exotherm matters in all of them.
Condensed with dimer acid or pre-reacted with epoxy resin to give low-blush, lower-volatility hardeners for site-applied work.
Higher-nitrogen succinimide dispersants for engine and gear oils, and amine components in fuel detergent packages.
Imidazoline corrosion inhibitors, demulsifiers, acidising inhibitors and shale control chemistry for drilling and production.
Adhesion promoters and antistripping agents for bitumen, and collectors and depressants in mineral flotation circuits.
A strong copper chelator and a building block for sequestrants, scale inhibitors and chelating ion-exchange resins.
Trientine — the distilled linear amine, as its hydrochloride salts — is an established copper-chelating active substance requiring pharmacopoeial grade material.
Wet-strength resins, dye fixatives, cationic auxiliaries and fabric softener actives through the amidoamine route.
From bridge coatings to crankcase oil — the value chain downstream of triethylenetetramine.
| Derivative | Made by | End use |
|---|---|---|
| TETA-cured epoxy networks | Stoichiometric cure of epoxy resin at AHEW ≈ 24.4 | Marine and civil coatings, flooring, linings, adhesives, large castings |
| Amine adducts and modified hardeners | Pre-reaction with epoxy resin or reactive diluents | Low-blush, lower-volatility hardeners for site-applied work |
| Dimer acid polyamides | Condensation with dimerised fatty acids | Flexible epoxy co-curatives, ink and hot-melt binders |
| Succinimide dispersants | Reaction with polyisobutylene succinic anhydride | Higher-nitrogen ashless dispersants for engine and gear oils |
| Imidazolines and amidoamines | Condensation with fatty acids and ring closure | Oilfield corrosion inhibitors, asphalt emulsifiers, softener actives |
| Trientine hydrochloride salts | Salt formation from distilled linear TETA | Pharmaceutical copper-chelating active substance |
| TEPA and higher ethyleneamines | Further chain extension in the ethyleneamine plant | Slower curing agents, CO₂ sorbents, lubricant and oilfield chemistry |
Every container carries the Chelora Amines label with product name, grade, net weight, batch number, manufacturing date, UN number and the corrosive pictogram. Packs are sealed and nitrogen-blanketed.
Lined or lacquered steel drums under nitrogen, palletised and secured. The standard pack for formulators and batch consumers.
UN-approved composite or stainless IBCs for continuous users with a pump-out arrangement and suitable bunding.
ISO tanks and road tankers for scheduled bulk supply; 500 mL to 5 L sealed containers for laboratory and trial use.
TETA is viscous enough that drum pumps and transfer lines should be sized for it rather than inherited from a thinner amine, particularly in a cold store. If you are buying the distilled linear grade for a regulated application, tell us at enquiry stage — the documentation set and the packaging requirements are both different. Export consignments are packed in UN-specification packaging with full dangerous goods documentation and shipped FOB, CIF or CFR through Nhava Sheva and Mundra.
Plan my supplyTETA causes severe skin burns and eye damage, is harmful in contact with skin, may cause an allergic skin reaction and is harmful to aquatic life. It is not a flammable liquid at ambient temperature. Skin contact and sensitisation are the practical risks on most sites — amine hardeners are among the commonest causes of occupational dermatitis in the coatings and flooring trades. The notes below are a summary for planning only; always work to the Safety Data Sheet and your own site risk assessment.
| Parameter | Specification | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Pale yellow to amber liquid | Complies |
| Total amine content (GC) | ≥ 97.0% | Complies |
| Water (KF) | ≤ 0.5% | Complies |
| Colour (APHA) | ≤ 100 | Complies |
| Amine value | 1510 – 1550 mg KOH/g | Complies |
| Viscosity at 25 °C | 20 – 30 mPa·s | Complies |
TETA is checked before dispatch. Each consignment leaves with the paperwork your QC, EHS, stores and accounts teams need on day one — including the amine value that sets your mix ratio.
Five steps for a first order of TETA. Step two is where technical and distilled linear get separated.
Grade, quantity, pack size, your colour and viscosity limits, intended application and your delivery location.
We establish whether your process needs the technical amine mixture or the isolated linear molecule — the answer changes the price and the lead time.
We quote, then the batch is tested — amine value, water, colour, density and viscosity — and the COA and SDS are prepared.
Sealed, labelled drums, IBCs or a bulk load move under dangerous goods documentation for a Class 8 corrosive.
Material reaches your gate and repeat dispatches are scheduled to your usage, keeping stock fresh and blanketed.
Buyers who order TETA usually source these from the same list. See the full product range for the complete picture.
Short answers to what purchase, lab, EHS and plant teams ask us most. Anything else, ask us directly.
Send the grade, quantity, pack size, intended end use 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.