Acrylamide in Austrian foods

M Murkovic1

  • 1Department of Food Chemistry and Technology, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 12/2, 8010 Graz, Austria. michael.murkovic@tugraz.at

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Preparation of Amines: Alkylation of Ammonia and Amines01:30

Preparation of Amines: Alkylation of Ammonia and Amines

Alkylation is one of the methods used to prepare amines. Direct alkylation of ammonia or a primary amine with an alkyl halide gives polyalkylated amines along with a quaternary ammonium salt through successive SN2 reactions. This process of making the quaternary salt through the direct alkylation method is called exhaustive alkylation.
Each alkylation step makes the nitrogen center more nucleophilic, which triggers successive alkylations until a quaternary ammonium salt is formed. Considering...
Preparation of 1° Amines: Azide Synthesis01:22

Preparation of 1° Amines: Azide Synthesis

Direct alkylation of ammonia produces polyalkylated amines, along with a quaternary ammonium salt. To exclusively prepare primary amines, the azide synthesis method can be used.
Azide ions act as good nucleophiles and react with unhindered alkyl halides to form alkyl azides. Alkyl azides do not participate in further nucleophilic substitution reactions, thereby eliminating the chances of polyalkylated products. Alkyl azides are reduced by hydride-based reducing agents, like lithium aluminum...
Preparation of 1° Amines: Hofmann and Curtius Rearrangement Overview01:07

Preparation of 1° Amines: Hofmann and Curtius Rearrangement Overview

In the presence of an aqueous base and a halogen, primary amides can lose the carbonyl (as carbon dioxide) and undergo rearrangement to form primary amines. This reaction, called the Hofmann rearrangement, can produce primary amines (aryl and alkyl) in high yields without contamination by secondary and tertiary amines.
Amines to Amides: Acylation of Amines01:19

Amines to Amides: Acylation of Amines

Various carboxylic acid derivatives (such as acid chlorides, esters, and anhydrides) can be used for the acylation of amines to yield amides. The reaction requires two equivalents of amines. The first amine molecule functions as a nucleophile and attacks the carbonyl carbon to produce a tetrahedral intermediate. This is followed by the loss of the leaving group and restoration of the C=O bond.
Next, the second equivalent of amine serves as a Brønsted base and deprotonates the quaternary amide...
2° Amines to N-Nitrosamines: Reaction with NaNO201:20

2° Amines to N-Nitrosamines: Reaction with NaNO2

Secondary amines react with nitrous acid to form N-nitrosamines, as depicted in Figure 1. Nitrous acid, a weak and unstable acid, is formed in situ from an aqueous solution of sodium nitrite and strong acids, such as hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, in cold conditions. In the presence of an acid, the nitrous acid gets protonated. The subsequent loss of water results in the formation of the electrophile known as nitrosonium ion.
Physical Properties of Amines01:26

Physical Properties of Amines

Amines with low molecular weight are usually gaseous at room temperature, while those with high molecular weight are liquid or solids in nature. Usually, low molecular weight amines have a rotten fish-like smell. Diamines typically have a pungent smell. For instance, cadaverine and putrescine, depicted in Figure 1, are two molecules responsible for decaying tissue.