Health and Safety Hazards of Acetamide Explained for Students
What is Acetamide?
Acetamide is an inorganic compound having the chemical name Acetamide. The chemical formula of Acetamide is C2H5NO. The compound acetamide is also known as Ethanamide, or Acetic acid amide, or also Acetic acid. It originated from acetic acid and it is the simplest amide - an acetamide widely used as a plasticizer.
Ethanamide is obtained as a hygroscopic solid, which is a colourless compound and has a mousy odour. This compound is readily soluble in chloroform, water, glycerol, hot benzene, and soluble in ether slightly. It is a member of the acetamides class, which results from the formal condensation of the acetic acid (CH3COOH) with ammonia (NH3). It is found naturally in red beetroot.
Acetamide Structure and Formula
The acetamide formula can be given chemically as CH3CONH2 or C2H5NO. Also, it has a molar mass of 59.07 g/mol. The acetamide has a methyl group (-CH3) that is bound to Amine (NH2) and carbonyl (CO). On the other side, the acetamide primarily comprises carboxylic acid amide functional group, having a general structure, as RC (=O) NH2.
Moreover, the acetamide belongs to the family of primary carboxylic acid amides. And also, it exists in nature and can be found as a natural compound. The acetamide structure or the chemical structure of the compound can be shown as follows:
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Occurrence of Acetamide
In general, the acetamide occurs in burning waste coal piles, formed between 50 and 150°C (122-302°F). Moreover, it only appears in dry weather periods. Also, scientists have detected its presence near the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
In addition, this finding is potentially significant for amino acids present in proteins. Also, this finding lends support to the theory, where the organic molecules lend to life can form in space.
Production of Acetamide
An extraordinary amount of acetamide can be produced through the ammonolysis of acetylacetone under conditions used commonly in reductive amination.
On the other side, anhydrous acetic acid is also used to produce acetamide, acetonitrile, and a very well hydrogen chloride gas in dried form, using an ice bath, together with more valuable reagent acetyl chloride. This product is typically low (up to 35%), and the acetamide is generated as a salt with HCl, produced in this way.
But, on the industrial scale, they use the same method used by scientists. They produce acetamide in industries by hydration of acetonitrile, a by-product of the production of acrylonitrile, or via dehydrating ammonium acetate.
CH3CN + H2O → CH3C(O)NH2
Properties of Acetamide
The acetamide compound is an acetic acid-derived chemical that has been identified as smelling like ammonia or vinegar. It will also cling to the places where musculus is under sleeping conditions and going to get food scrounge.
Let us Look at the Physical and Chemical Properties of Acetamide
Physical Properties of Acetamide
We can identify the compound in the field as transparent to translucent, gray variations, or colorless. It also has a white streak, having a density of 1.17 g/cm3. Its hardness is of 1 to 1.5, roughly close to a slightly harder substance or talc. The melting point of acetamide falls between 79 to 81°C, whereas the boiling point is 221.2°C. The IUPAC name of CH3CONH2 is given as Acetamide.
Moreover, it has a density of 1.159 g/cm3 and is soluble in water (2000 g L-1), pyridine (166.67 g L-1), ethanol (500 g L-1), chloroform, hot benzene, glycerol, and slightly soluble in ether.
Chemical Properties of Acetamide
We find the acetamide as a hygroscopic solid, which is colorless and has a mousy odor, depending on its purity. And it also has a bitter taste. Moreover, it is a member of the acetamides class, which results from the formal condensation of acetic acid (CH3COOH) with ammonia (NH3). Most noteworthy is, the carbonyl, anime, and methyl groups share electrons with each other to produce acetamide.
Uses of C2H5NO (Acetamide)
The acetamide is mainly used as a solvent for many organic and inorganic compounds and also in explosives.
Let us Look at the Other Uses of Acetamide, As Given Below:
Used in explosives
Used as a hygroscopic agent
Used as a plasticizer
Used in manufacturing of methylamine
Used as a penetrating agent
Used as a stabilizer
Used as a fire suppressant
Solubility of Acetamide in HCl
The key findings have been that acetamide and ammonia are water and HCl soluble because they are smaller molecules. The compounds aniline, triethylamine, and N, N-dimethylaniline are not referred to be water - and HCl soluble, but are MTBE-soluble (Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether). MTBE is not soluble in both acetamide and ammonia.
Health and Safety Hazard of Acetamide
Let us look at the acetamide hazards in brief. The acetamide compound has low toxicity, causes a reduction in weight, which only takes place when exposed to a high oral dose. In addition, it mildly irritates eyes, mucous membranes, and skin. Also, its combustion generates fumes or toxic gases. It can even cause damage to the corneal. Over time repeated oral exposure can cause lymphoma and liver tumors.
FAQs on Acetamide: Structure, Properties, and Uses in Chemistry
1. What is acetamide and what is its chemical formula and structure?
Acetamide is a primary amide derived from acetic acid. It is an organic compound belonging to the amide family. Its chemical formula is CH₃CONH₂. The structure consists of a methyl group (-CH₃) attached to a carbonyl carbon (C=O), which is in turn bonded to an amino group (-NH₂). This arrangement makes it the simplest amide after formamide.
2. What is the official IUPAC name for acetamide?
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) name for acetamide is ethanamide. The name is derived from the two-carbon alkane chain (ethane) with the suffix '-amide' to indicate the functional group.
3. What are the key physical properties of acetamide?
Acetamide exhibits several distinct physical properties that are important for its identification and use. Key properties include:
Appearance: It is a colorless or white crystalline solid.
Odor: Pure acetamide is odorless, but commercial samples often have a mousy or rat-like odor due to impurities.
Solubility: It is highly soluble in water and other polar solvents like ethanol and chloroform.
Melting Point: The melting point of acetamide is approximately 81 °C (178 °F).
Boiling Point: It has a high boiling point of about 221 °C (430 °F) due to strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding.
4. What are the main industrial and commercial uses of acetamide?
Acetamide serves as a versatile compound with several important applications in chemistry and industry. Its primary uses include:
Solvent: It is an excellent solvent for many organic and inorganic compounds due to its high dielectric constant and polarity.
Plasticizer: It is used as a plasticizer in leather, paper, and various types of films to increase their flexibility.
Chemical Synthesis: It acts as a precursor in the synthesis of other organic compounds, including methylamine through the Hofmann degradation reaction.
Industrial Applications: It is used in soldering flux, as a stabilizer, and in the manufacturing of lacquers and explosives.
5. Why is acetamide highly soluble in water despite being an organic compound?
The high solubility of acetamide in water is due to its ability to form strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The acetamide molecule has a highly electronegative oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms attached to a nitrogen atom. These can form hydrogen bonds with the hydrogen and oxygen atoms of water molecules, respectively. This strong interaction allows acetamide to dissolve readily in water, overcoming the nonpolar nature of its methyl group.
6. Why is acetamide a much weaker base compared to an amine like ethylamine?
Acetamide is a significantly weaker base than ethylamine because the lone pair of electrons on its nitrogen atom is delocalised. This occurs due to resonance with the adjacent carbonyl group (C=O). The electron-withdrawing nature of the carbonyl group pulls the electron density from the nitrogen atom, making the lone pair less available for donation to a proton (H⁺). In contrast, the lone pair on the nitrogen in ethylamine is localized and its availability is even enhanced by the electron-donating inductive effect (+I effect) of the ethyl group, making it a stronger base.
7. How can acetamide be prepared in a laboratory setting?
A common laboratory method for preparing acetamide is through the dehydration of ammonium acetate. When ammonium acetate (CH₃COONH₄) is heated, it loses a molecule of water to form acetamide (CH₃CONH₂) and water. Another important method is the partial hydrolysis of acetonitrile (CH₃CN) using an acid or a base as a catalyst. This reaction adds a water molecule across the carbon-nitrogen triple bond to yield the amide.
8. What makes acetamide an amphoteric compound, and what does this mean for its chemical reactions?
Acetamide is considered amphoteric because it can act as both a very weak acid and a very weak base. Its ability to act as a base is due to the lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atom, which can accept a proton. However, its acidic nature arises because the hydrogen atoms on the amino group (-NH₂) can be donated under strongly basic conditions. This dual nature means acetamide can react with strong acids to form salts and with very strong bases, although its acidic and basic properties are extremely weak and not prominent in typical reactions.
