What does amine mean?
An amine is an organic compound built around a nitrogen atom that can be traced back to ammonia: one or more of ammonia's three hydrogen atoms are replaced by carbon-based groups, yielding what chemists classify as primary, secondary, or tertiary amines depending on how many substitutions occur. Because the nitrogen atom carries a lone pair of electrons, amines behave as bases and nucleophiles, which makes them among the most reactive and versatile building blocks in organic chemistry. They are everywhere in daily life and in biology: many neurotransmitters, including dopamine, serotonin, and histamine, are amines, and the amino acids that make up proteins owe their very name to the amine group they carry. Amines also give fish their characteristic smell — trimethylamine being the main culprit — and serve as key intermediates in dyes, pharmaceuticals, and polymers. The word itself derives from 'ammonia' plus the suffix '-ine', and it remains firmly technical in register, appearing mainly in chemistry texts and research literature rather than everyday conversation.
nounAn organic compound derived from ammonia in which one or more hydrogen atoms have been replaced by hydrocarbon or other organic groups; amines contain a basic nitrogen atom and are classified as primary, secondary, or tertiary according to how many such replacements have occurred.
- Any organic compound containing a basic nitrogen atom derived by replacing one or more hydrogen atoms of ammonia with organic groups, classified as primary, secondary, or tertiary.
- (In older chemistry) any of various compounds regarded as derived from ammonia, including some now classified otherwise.
"Methylamine is the simplest amine, formed by replacing one hydrogen atom of ammonia with a methyl group."
"Many neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin, are biologically active amines."
"The reaction produced a secondary amine as its main product."
Regular plural, used freely when discussing classes of compounds.
"Primary amines react readily with nitrous acid."
The word 'amine' is simply 'ammonia' with its tail swapped for the chemical suffix '-ine' — chemists literally built the name out of its own parent compound.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of amine
The term amine was coined in the mid-19th century from 'ammonia', reflecting the fact that these compounds were understood as derivatives of ammonia, combined with the chemical suffix '-ine' then commonly used for new substances. The name was popularized through the work of French and German chemists studying organic nitrogen compounds during the 1840s and 1850s, notably August Wilhelm von Hofmann's systematic investigations of aniline-derived bases. Its relatives include 'ammonia', 'amide', and 'amino', all rooted in the same chemical lineage tracing back ultimately to sal ammoniac, the ammonium chloride known since antiquity.
Related word forms
How amine is actually used
Amine is a technical term used chiefly in organic chemistry and biochemistry; it is rarely encountered outside scientific writing. Stress varies between speakers, with both first-syllable (/ˈeɪmiːn/) and second-syllable (/əˈmiːn/) pronunciation accepted in standard dictionaries.
Easily confused with amine
An amine contains a nitrogen atom bonded to carbons or hydrogens but not doubly bonded to oxygen, whereas an amide contains a carbonyl group directly bonded to nitrogen (–C(=O)N–), as in proteins.
An amine has a saturated single-bonded nitrogen atom, while an imine has a carbon–nitrogen double bond (C=N).