Chemical Properties
colourless to light yellow liquid with a very unpleasant smell
Uses
1,5-Diaminopentane is mainly used in organic synthesis.
Definition
ChEBI: An alkane-alpha,omega-diamine comprising a straight-chain pentane core with amino substitutents at positions 1 and 5. A colourless syrupy liquid diamine with a distinctive unpleasant odour, it is a homologue of putresceine
and is formed by the bacterial decarboxylation of lysine that occurs during protein hydrolysis during putrefaction of animal tissue. It is also found in plants such as soyabean.
Production Methods
1,5-Diaminopentane can be prepared by methods similar to those described for 1,4-diaminobutane. The starting materials are 1,5-dichloropentane (obtainable from tetrahydropyran), glutarodinitrile, or glutaraldehyde. The compound is hygroscopic and has a very bad odor.
General Description
Cadaverine, a biogenic amine, belongs to the class of aliphatic diamines and is commonly found in food products including cheese, fish products, fermented sausages, fish sauces, etc. It can be used as a freshness marker and as an indicator of microbial spoilage since it is most commonly identified in food products as a result of inappropriate storage conditions and microbial contamination.
Flammability and Explosibility
Notclassified
Safety Profile
Poison by intravenous, rectal, and subcutaneous routes. Moderately toxic by skin contact. An irritant, sensitizer, and allergen. Mutagenic data. When heated to decomposition it emits highly toxic fumes of NOx.
Purification Methods
Purify the base by distillation, after standing over KOH pellets (at room temperature, i.e. liquid form). Its dihydrochloride has m 275o (sublimes in a vacuum), and its tetraphenyl boronate has m 164o. [Schwarzenbach et al. Helv Chim Acta 35 2333 1952, Beilstein 4 IV 1310.]
