Final answer:
Amines react with acyl chlorides in a reaction known as nucleophilic acyl substitution, resulting in the formation of amides.
Step-by-step explanation:
Amines react with acyl chlorides in a reaction known as nucleophilic acyl substitution. In this reaction, the nitrogen lone pair of the amine acts as a nucleophile and attacks the electrophilic carbonyl carbon of the acyl chloride. This results in the formation of an amide, with the chloride ion as a leaving group. The reaction can be represented by the following general equation:
R-NH2 + R'-C(Cl)=O → R-NH-C(=O)-R' + HCl
For example, when methylamine (CH3NH2) reacts with acetyl chloride (CH3C(=O)Cl), the amide methylacetamide (CH3C(=O)NHCH3) is formed:
CH3NH2 + CH3C(=O)Cl → CH3C(=O)NHCH3 + HCl