Question

Give a chemical test to distinguish between following pairs of compounds :

(i) Ethylamine and diethyl amine.

(ii) Ethyl amine and aniline.

(iii) Aniline and benzyl amine.

(iv) Aniline and N-ethylaniline.

Answer 1

(i) Ethylamine and diethyl amine :

Ethylamine (C₂H₅NH₂) is a primary amine while diethyl amine ( (C₂H₅)₂NH) is a secondary amine. 

So the two can be distinguished by the following test :

(ii) Ethyl amine and aniline :

Ethylamine is an aliphatic amine, while aniline is an aromatic amine. 

So the two can be distinguished by the following test :

(iii) Aniline and benzyl amine :

(iv) Aniline and N-ethylaniline :