A Study of Competitive and Consecutive Second Order Reactions : N-Alkylation of Amines by Methyl Iodide

The kinetics of alkylation of aniline, methyl aniline and dimethyaniline by methyl iodide have been determined in nitrobenzene. The mechanism of the process has been discussed. Second order process has been observed with secondary and tertiary amines, presumably monoalkylation is occurring. In the case of aniline, a consecutive second order process has been noted indicating dialkylation. Frost-Schwemer treatment has been utilized to compute the second order rate constants. This is the first kinetic report of dialkylatioa in the case of aniline and mono-alkylation in the case of secondary amines.