Methylamine (CH3NH2)

Irvine, William M.

doi:10.1007/978-3-662-65093-6_5323

William M. Irvine¹¹

Synonyms

Aminomethane; Methanamine; Methyl Amine

Chemical Formula

CH₃NH₂

Definition

Methylamine (IUPAC names aminomethane or methanamine) is the simplest primary amine. At standard temperature and pressure, it is a colorless gas, with the liquid boiling at −6.5 °C at 1 atm. It has a fishy odor resembling that of ammonia, not surprisingly since it is derived from ammonia by replacing one hydrogen atom by a methyl group (CH₃).

Overview

Methylamine is a possible precursor to the amino acid glycine (e.g., Halfen et al. 2013) as well as various N-methyl amino acids which are sometimes detected in meteorites or laboratory simulations of prebiotic chemistry. The rotational spectrum of methylamine is complex, since it is an asymmetric top with two large amplitude internal motions: methyl group torsion and inversion of the amine hydrogens (see Spectroscopy, Rotational (Radioastronomy)). Nonetheless, it was one of the first relatively complex organic molecules detected in the interstellar...

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References and Further Reading

Halfen DT, Ilyushin VV, Ziurys LM (2013) Insights into surface hydrogenation in the interstellar medium: observations of Methanimine and methyl amine. Astrophys J 767:66–77
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Kaifu N, Morimoto M, Nagane K, Akabane K, Iguchi T, Takagi K (1974) Detection of interstellar Mythylamine. Astrophys J 191:L135–L137
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Authors and Affiliations

Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Lederle Graduate Research Tower B 619E, Amherst, MA, USA
William M. Irvine

Authors

William M. Irvine
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Correspondence to William M. Irvine .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux, University of Bordeaux, Pessac, France
Muriel Gargaud
Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
William M. Irvine
Centro Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
Ricardo Amils
Analytical, Environmental, Geo-Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
Philippe Claeys
Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
Henderson James Cleaves
Radio Astronomy, Paris Observatory, Paris, France
Maryvonne Gerin
LESIA, Observatoire de Paris-Site de Meudon, Meudon, France
Daniel Rouan
International Space Science Institute, Bern, Switzerland
Tilman Spohn
Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques de Nantes, Centre François Viète d’Histoire des Sciences et de Techniques EA 1161, Nantes, France
Stéphane Tirard
Innovaxiom, Paris, CX, France
Michel Viso

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Irvine, W.M. (2023). Methylamine (CH₃NH₂). In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-65093-6_5323

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-65093-6_5323
Published: 28 July 2023
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-662-65092-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-65093-6
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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