Methyl amine has higher point or ethyl amine has higher boiling point?

1 Answer
Jun 1, 2018

Consider them both respectively,

puu.sh

The only variable differing between them is their molecular weight!

There would be some hydrogen bonding in solution between the amine nitrogens and hydrogens. However, there would be weaker dispersion forces between the methyl than ethyl carbon backbones.

To be sure, there are more van der Waal radii to induce transient dipoles in ethyl than methyl amine.

Hence, I would hypothesize that ethyl amine has a higher boiling point.

Update: per Sigma Aldrich, I'm right.

Methylamine: #-6.3°"C"#
Ethylamine: #16.6°"C"#