Methyl diethanolamine
Encyclopedia
Methyl diethanolamine is a clear, colorless or pale yellow liquid with an ammonia
odour. It is miscible with water, alcohol
and benzene
. Methyl diethanolamine is also known as N-Methyl diethanolamine and more commonly as MDEA. It has the formula CH3N (C2H4OH)2. MDEA is a tertiary amine
and is widely used as a sweetening agent in chemical, oil refinery
, syngas
production and natural gas
. This compound should not be confused with the similarly named commercial drug MDEA
.
MDEA's popularity as a solvent for gas treating stems from several advantages it has over other alkanolamines, especially its ability to preferentially remove H2S (and slip CO2) from sour gas streams.
Similar compounds are monoethanolamine (MEA), a primary amine, and diethanolamine (DEA), a secondary amine, both of which are also used for amine gas treating
.
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
odour. It is miscible with water, alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and benzene
Benzene
Benzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6....
. Methyl diethanolamine is also known as N-Methyl diethanolamine and more commonly as MDEA. It has the formula CH3N (C2H4OH)2. MDEA is a tertiary amine
Amine
Amines are organic compounds and functional groups that contain a basic nitrogen atom with a lone pair. Amines are derivatives of ammonia, wherein one or more hydrogen atoms have been replaced by a substituent such as an alkyl or aryl group. Important amines include amino acids, biogenic amines,...
and is widely used as a sweetening agent in chemical, oil refinery
Refinery
A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value.-Types of refineries:Different types of refineries are as follows:...
, syngas
Syngas
Syngas is the name given to a gas mixture that contains varying amounts of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Examples of production methods include steam reforming of natural gas or liquid hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen, the gasification of coal, biomass, and in some types of waste-to-energy...
production and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
. This compound should not be confused with the similarly named commercial drug MDEA
Methylenedioxyethylamphetamine
3,4-Methylenedioxy-N-ethylamphetamine is an entactogen, psychedelic, and stimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine chemical classes....
.
MDEA's popularity as a solvent for gas treating stems from several advantages it has over other alkanolamines, especially its ability to preferentially remove H2S (and slip CO2) from sour gas streams.
Similar compounds are monoethanolamine (MEA), a primary amine, and diethanolamine (DEA), a secondary amine, both of which are also used for amine gas treating
Amine gas treating
Amine gas treating, also known as gas sweetening and acid gas removal, refers to a group of processes that use aqueous solutions of various alkylamines to remove hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide from gases...
.