Methylamine (40% in Methanol, ca. 9.8mol/L) TCI M1016

TCI M1016 Methylamine (40% in Methanol, ca. 9.8 mol/L) is a ready-to-use solution of the simplest primary amine dissolved in methanol, supplied as a synthetic reagent in the acids and bases group. Methylamine itself is a gas at room temperature, so providing it as a methanolic solution makes the reagent far more practical and safer to measure out in an ordinary laboratory. Its role is to serve as a source of the methylamino group, acting both as a nucleophile for forming carbon–nitrogen bonds and as an organic base in a wide range of everyday organic synthesis transformations.

The properties that make this reagent a frequent choice are its high nucleophilicity and basicity combined with a very small molecular size, which allows it to reach reaction positions that are sterically crowded. The stated solution concentration makes volumetric stoichiometric calculations straightforward, removing the need to handle a pressurised gas. Methanol as the solvent is protic and dissolves many polar substrates, so the solution is directly compatible with ester aminolysis, epoxide ring opening, nucleophilic substitution, and reductive amination. The reagent is also commonly used to convert esters into amides.

In Indonesian laboratories this reagent fits naturally into routine organic synthesis work, where a liquid amine source is much easier to dispense with a syringe or measuring cylinder than a cylinder of gas. Academic research groups, teaching laboratories running organic synthesis practicals, and industrial R&D units preparing methylated nitrogen compounds all benefit from a solution format that can be measured volumetrically with ordinary glassware and standard fume-hood practice.

• Ester aminolysis to amides: the high nucleophilicity of methylamine allows direct attack on the ester carbonyl, converting esters into N-methyl amides without a separate activation step.
• Epoxide ring opening: the small molecular size of methylamine lets it approach the sterically hindered epoxide carbon efficiently, producing amino alcohols in a single controlled operation.
• Nucleophilic substitution reactions: methylamine acts as a strong nucleophile for displacing leaving groups, forming carbon–nitrogen bonds that install the methylamino group onto a substrate.
• Reductive amination: the reagent supplies the primary amine component for condensation with carbonyl compounds, and the methanol solvent dissolves polar substrates and intermediates well.
• General organic base applications: the pronounced basicity of methylamine allows it to serve as an organic base in transformations that require proton removal alongside amine chemistry.

Store this reagent tightly closed in its original supplier container, kept in a cool and well-ventilated storage area away from heat, sparks, and open flames, since both methylamine and the methanol solvent are flammable. Use chemically compatible closures to prevent vapour loss, because the dissolved amine is volatile and loss of headspace content will change the effective concentration. Always dispense inside a working fume hood, wearing safety goggles, chemically resistant gloves, and a laboratory coat. Keep the container separated from strong acids and oxidising agents, and close it immediately after each withdrawal.

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