METHYLAMINES SYNTHESIS - A REVIEW

Monomethylamine (MMA), dimethylamine (DMA) and trimethylamine (TMA) ar e major industrial chemical intermediates. Generally, these compounds are prepared by reaction of methanol and ammonia over a dehydration ca talyst such as silica alumina. While thermodynamics favors TMA formati on, market demand is for DMA. This has led to the development of highl y DMA selective zeolite-based catalysts. In this article, the history of, the reported routes to, the design of new catalysts for, and the m echanism of the synthesis of methylamines are discussed.