Amines — Chemistry STD 12 Science — Question

1. Ethyl amine

Explanation:

Methyl cyanide on reaction with sodium and ethanol forms ethylamine.

$\text{CH}_3-\text{C}\equiv\text{N}+4[\text{H}]\xrightarrow{\text{Na}/\text{ethanol}}\text{CH}_3-\text{CH}_2-\text{NH}_2$

In this reaction, the nitrile group is hydrogenated to form a primary amine.

This is a useful method to increase the length of a carbon chain in preparing a primary amine which contains one more carbon atom than the alkyl halide from which alkyl cyanide is obtained.