Monday, March 5, 2012 at 10:33AM
Drew Wolfe

Hexamethylenediamine

"Hexamethylenediamine is the organic compound with the formula H2N(CH2)6NH2. The molecule is a diamine, consisting of a hexamethylene hydrocarbon chain terminated with amine functional groups. The colorless solid (yellowish for some commercial samples) has a strong amine odor, similar to piperidine. About 1 billion kilograms are produced annually."

"Hexamethylenediamine is used almost exclusively for the production of polymers, an application that takes advantage of its bifunctional structure. The great majority of the diamine is consumed by the production of nylon 6-6 via condensation with adipic acid. Otherwise hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) is generated from this diamine as a monomer feedstock in the production of polyurethane. The diamine also serves as a cross-linking agent in epoxy resins."

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