Hexamethylenediamine
Hexamethylenediamine is a six-carbon aliphatic diamine with an amino group at each end. It is used chiefly to make nylon 6,6 and other polyamides.
Nylon 6,6: A polyamide made by reacting hexamethylenediamine with adipic acid. This polymer is the main product made from hexamethylenediamine.
Condensation polymerization: A polymer-forming reaction in which monomers join while releasing small molecules. Nylon 6,6 forms as this diamine and adipic acid create amide links and release water.
1,6-Hexanediamine: The systematic name for hexamethylenediamine, with amino groups on carbons 1 and 6. This name makes the molecule’s six-carbon chain and terminal amino groups explicit.
Wallace Carothers: An American chemist whose DuPont research helped establish synthetic polymers, including nylon. His polymer research led to the nylon technology that created major demand for this monomer.
Occupational exposure limit: A regulatory or advisory concentration limit for a substance in workplace air. Workplace controls address irritation and other hazards from handling this reactive diamine.
Adipic acid: A six-carbon dicarboxylic acid used with hexamethylenediamine to produce nylon 6,6. It supplies the complementary monomer that forms nylon 6,6 with this diamine.
Amide bond: A covalent linkage between a carbonyl carbon and a nitrogen atom. Repeated amide bonds connect hexamethylenediamine-derived segments in nylon 6,6.
Aliphatic compound: An organic compound with a nonaromatic carbon framework, which may be straight, branched, or cyclic. Hexamethylenediamine has a straight, nonaromatic carbon chain.
Nylon: A family of synthetic polyamides used in fibers, films, and molded materials. Hexamethylenediamine became an industrially significant feedstock through nylon production.
Corrosive substance: A material that can chemically damage living tissue or other materials on contact. Hexamethylenediamine can cause severe skin and eye irritation or burns.