Diethylenetriamine is an organic compound

Organic compound

An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...

 with the formula HN(CH₂CH₂NH₂)₂. This colourless hygroscopic liquid is soluble in water and polar organic solvents, but not simple hydrocarbon

Hydrocarbon

In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons from which one hydrogen atom has been removed are functional groups, called hydrocarbyls....

s. Diethylenetriamine is structural analogue of diethylene glycol

Diethylene glycol

Diethylene glycol is an organic compound with the formula 2O. It is a colorless, practically odorless, poisonous, and hygroscopic liquid with a sweetish taste. It is miscible in water, alcohol, ether, acetone, and ethylene glycol. DEG is a widely used solvent...

. Its chemical properties resemble those for ethylene diamine

Ethylene diamine

Ethylenediamine is the organic compound with the formula C2H42. This colorless liquid with an ammonia-like odor is a strongly basic amine. The liquid fumes upon contact with humid air...

, and it has similar uses. It is a weak base

Weak base

In chemistry, a weak base is a chemical base that does not ionize fully in an aqueous solution. As Brønsted–Lowry bases are proton acceptors, a weak base may also be defined as a chemical base in which protonation is incomplete. This results in a relatively low pH compared to strong bases...

 and its aqueous solution is alkaline. DETA is a byproduct of the production of ethylenediamine from ethylene dichloride.

Reactions and uses

In coordination chemistry, it serves as a tridentate ligand

Ligand

In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding between metal and ligand generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's electron pairs. The nature of metal-ligand bonding can range from...

 forming complexes such as Co(dien)(NO₂)₃.

Like some related amines, it is used in oil industry for the extraction of acid gas

Acid gas

Acid gas is natural gas or any other gas mixture which contains significant amounts of hydrogen sulfide , carbon dioxide , or similar contaminants. The terms acid gas and sour gas are often incorrectly treated as synonyms...

.

Like ethylenediamine, DETA can also be used to sensitize nitromethane

Nitromethane

Nitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...

, making a liquid explosive compound similar to PLX

PLX

PLX, or Picatinny Liquid Explosive, is a liquid binary explosive, a mixture of 95% nitromethane and 5% ethylene diamine . Other amine groups can be used in replacement of ethylene diamine, such as triethylene tetramine or ethanolamine...

. This compound is cap sensitive with an explosive velocity of around 6200 m/s and is discussed in patent #3,713,915. Mixed with unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine it was used as Hydyne

Hydyne

Hydyne, also unofficially known as Bagel fuel, is a mixture of 60% unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and 40% diethylenetriamine , developed in 1957 at Rocketdyne for use in liquid-fuel rockets....

, a propellent for liquid-fuel rockets.