Acetamide is a white, water-soluble, crystalline solid, C2H5NO, the amide of acetic acid: used chiefly in organic synthesis.
Amine is any of a class of compounds derived from ammonia by replacement of one or more hydrogen atoms with organic groups.
Acetamide can be converted into an amine by a reduction reaction using a strong reducing agent such as lithium aluminum hydride (LiAlH4) or sodium borohydride (NaBH4). The reaction involves the reduction of the carbonyl group (C=O) in acetamide to a methylene group (CH2), followed by the reduction of the nitrogen atom to an amine group (-NH2). The reaction can be represented as follows:
CH3CONH2 + 4[H] → CH3CH2NH2 + H2O
where [H] represents the reducing agent. The product of this reaction is ethylamine (CH3CH2NH2), which is a primary amine.