Understanding Amine Basics and Primary Amines
Amines are derived from ammonia (NH₃) where one or more hydrogen atoms get replaced by carbon chains or rings. There are two main types you need to know: aliphatic amines (nitrogen attached to carbon chains) and aromatic amines (nitrogen attached to aromatic rings like benzene).
The classification system is actually quite logical. Primary amines have one carbon group attached to nitrogen, secondary amines have two, and tertiary amines have three. Think of it like how many carbon "friends" the nitrogen has made!
For primary amines with NH₂ at the end of a chain, just add "-amine" as a suffix. CH₃NH₂ becomes methylamine - dead simple! When NH₂ isn't at the end, use "amino-" as a prefix and name the longest chain. So CH₃-CH₂-CH(NH₂)-CH₃ becomes 2-aminobutane.
Quick tip: If there are multiple NH₂ groups, add "di", "tri", etc. before "amino". H₂N-CH₂-CH₂-CH₂-CH₂-NH₂ becomes 1,4-diaminobutane.