Getting N-methyl-2-aminobutane from 2-aminobutane

[Ace.]

Homework Statement

draw structural equation for going from 2-aminobutane to N-methyl-2-aminobutane

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

CH3=CH-CH2-CH3   + CH4  ---->   CH3-CH-CH2-CH3
       |                                   |
       NH2                          CH3-NH2

It doesn't really balance so what must I do?

 

[Borek]

It doesn't have to balance - it is a pretty standard procedure to ignore byproducts in such schemes.

But what you draw is not a 2-aminobutane, and your product has a trivalent carbon.

 

[chemisttree]

And methane (CH4) is not capable of this reaction. Also, there are 4 bonds to nitrogen.

 

[epenguin]

Homework Statement

draw structural equation for going from 2-aminobutane to N-methyl-2-aminobutane

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

CH3=CH-CH2-CH3   + CH4  ---->   CH3-CH-CH2-CH3
       |                                   |
       NH2                          CH3-NH2

It doesn't really balance so what must I do?

Except for CH₄ which you seem to have corrected, all your organic formulae are wrong in more than one point.

 

[DeeNos]

In order to balance the equation, you need to add a reagent that will add a methyl group (CH3) to the amine group (-NH2) of 2-aminobutane. One possible reagent that can do this is methyl iodide (CH3I). The reaction would look like this:

CH3=CH-CH2-CH3 + CH3I -> CH3-CH2-CH2-CH3
| |
NH2 CH3-NH2

This reaction is known as an alkylation reaction, where a methyl group is added to a compound. However, please note that this is just one possible reaction and there may be other ways to synthesize N-methyl-2-aminobutane from 2-aminobutane. It is important to consider factors such as reaction conditions, reagent availability, and desired yield when designing a synthesis pathway.