2,6-Dimethylaniline CAS 87-62-7

As an aromatic amine, it combines the reactivity of an amino group with the steric hindrance effect of two methyl groups, giving it unique regioselectivity in electrophilic substitution reactions. It is precisely this molecular characteristic of "activity and selectivity" that makes it deeply penetrated in more than ten fields such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, dyes, rubber, etc., becoming an irreplaceable key intermediate in the fine chemical industry.

The application in the field of pesticides is the largest and most industrialized direction among all its uses. It is the core synthetic material for a series of highly efficient fungicides and selective herbicides, directly related to global food security.
In the field of fungicides, it is a key intermediate for the commercialization of the following fungicides:
Metalaxyl, one of the most widely used systemic fungicides in the world, is widely used to prevent and control diseases such as potato late blight and tomato blight.

By reacting with reagents such as chloroacetyl chloride, the amide skeleton in the molecule of metoclopramide is constructed.

Furametpyr, a highly effective broad-spectrum fungicide, has excellent control effects on rice blast disease, sheath blight, and other diseases. Its synthetic route also uses 2-methyl-D3 as the starting material.

Furalaxyl, Furamide, and Methamide, these fungicides have important market shares in the prevention and control of vegetable and economic crop diseases, and are all derived from their amino groups.
Metalaxyl-M+Copper hydroxide is a compound preparation of metalaxyl and copper hydroxide, which has dual functions of internal absorption therapy and surface protection.

It is the source of its active ingredient metalaxyl.

In the field of herbicides, it is equally indispensable:
Butachlor, a highly efficient and low toxicity selective pre emergence herbicide, is widely used in rice fields to control annual grasses and some broad-leaved weeds, with an annual global usage of tens of thousands of tons. After reacting with chloroacetyl chloride and then condensing with isobutylamine, isobutyraldehyde is obtained.
Dimethanamide, an amide herbicide, has good weed control effects on crops such as soybeans and corn.

Imazapyr, an imidazolinone herbicide with broad-spectrum and low toxicity, is involved in key steps of its synthesis route.
It can be said that without 2,6-dimethylaniline, most of the pesticides mentioned above would not be able to achieve industrial production. It is a true "connecting node" in the fine chemical chain of pesticides - upstream undertakes basic chemical raw materials (such as meta xylene, aniline, etc.), and downstream supports the multi billion dollar pesticide market.

The application depth in the pharmaceutical field even exceeds that of pesticides. It is the core synthetic material for various anesthetics and veterinary drugs, directly related to clinical medicine and animal husbandry.
In the field of human anesthetics, it is a key intermediate for the following heavyweight drugs:
Lidocaine HCl, one of the most widely used local anesthetics worldwide, is used for surgical procedures, dental treatment, arrhythmia, and more.

In the synthetic route of lidocaine, it reacts with chloroacetyl chloride to produce 2,6-dimethylacetanilide, which is then condensed with diethylaminoethanol to form a salt and obtain lidocaine. It is worth mentioning that it is also the source of Lidocaine EP Impurity A and Capocaine Impurity 1, which have special significance in drug quality control. Bupivacaine HCl, a long-acting local anesthetic with a duration of action 2 to 3 times longer than lidocaine, is widely used for epidural anesthesia and postoperative analgesia. Its synthesis also uses it as an amino precursor.
Prilocaine HCl and Tocainide, both of which contain 2,6-dimethylphenyl fragments in their molecular frameworks, are irreplaceable starting materials for anesthesia drugs.

Tubanidine, a central muscle relaxant used to relieve spastic pain, also relies on 2-methyl-D3 for its synthesis.
In the field of veterinary medicine, it is the synthetic raw material of Xylazine (also known as Serazine). Jingsongling is an α ₂ - adrenergic receptor agonist widely used for sedation, analgesia, and muscle relaxation in animals such as horses, cows, and dogs. It is a commonly used medication in veterinary clinical practice.
From anesthesia for humans to sedation for animals, its role in the field of medicine can be summarized in one sentence: it is the universal key to drugs containing 2,6-dimethylphenyl structures.

It is an important intermediate for synthesizing dyes and pigments, playing the role of an "invisible promoter" in the color industry.
As aromatic amines, various azo dyes can be generated through diazotization coupling reactions. The presence of two methyl groups not only improves the stability of the dye, but also affects the coupling position through steric hindrance effect, thereby regulating the color tone and fastness of the dye.

Specifically, it can be used to prepare various organic colorants, including but not limited to: dispersed dyes (used for dyeing synthetic fibers such as polyester), acid dyes (used for dyeing wool and silk), and direct dyes (used for dyeing cotton fibers). In addition, it can also be used to prepare fluorescent dyes, which have special applications in fields such as security, anti-counterfeiting, and biological labeling.
In the field of pigments, high-performance organic pigments can be synthesized as coupling components for coloring coatings, inks, and plastics. The hydrophobicity brought by its two methyl groups helps to improve the dispersibility of pigments in non-polar media, which is an advantage that ordinary aniline cannot achieve.

In the rubber industry, it can be used as a synthetic rubber accelerator. Accelerators are key components in rubber vulcanization systems, which can accelerate vulcanization reactions, improve crosslinking density, and enhance the mechanical properties and aging resistance of rubber products. The promoter derived from 2-methyl-D3 has the characteristics of good coking safety and moderate sulfurization rate due to the steric hindrance effect of two methyl groups, making it particularly suitable for products with high processing safety requirements.
In the field of polymers, it is also used as a stabilizer and antioxidant. Aromatic amine compounds can capture free radicals generated during polymer degradation, thereby delaying material aging. 

In the field of organic synthesis, it is a multifunctional organic synthesis raw material that can participate in various reaction types, including acylation, alkylation, sulfonation, nitration, diazotization, etc. The high reactivity of its amino group and the localization effect of its methyl group make it an ideal building block for constructing complex organic molecules. In the field of spices, it can also be used as a raw material for synthesizing certain spice compounds.

In the field of scientific research reagents, its deuterated derivative, 2,6-dimethylaniline (2-methyl-D3), with CAS number 343272-28-6 and molecular weight of 124.20, is used as an internal standard in analytical chemistry and a labeling compound in nuclear magnetic resonance research. Although this niche application is small in size, it is indispensable in high-end analysis and drug metabolism research.