The word amidine is spelled with the letters A-M-I-D-I-N-E. In phonetic transcription, it is pronounced ˈæmɪdaɪn. The first syllable sounds like the word "amid" while the second syllable has the same sound as the letter "I." The final syllable is pronounced like the word "dine," the chemical term for a dinucleotide. Amidines are a class of organic compounds that contain a nitrogen atom bonded to carbon atoms on either side. They are important in the pharmaceutical industry as they exhibit a wide range of biological activities.
Amidines are a class of organic compounds that consist of a nitrogen atom attached to two single-bonded alkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl groups. Structurally, amidines can be viewed as derivatives of ammonia, where one hydrogen atom has been replaced by a substituent. The general formula for amidines is R_1RN=C(R_2)R_3, where R_1, R_2, and R_3 represent various organic or inorganic functional groups, such as alkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl moieties.
Amidines are known for their strong basic properties due to the presence of the sp2-hybridized nitrogen atom. This nitrogen atom possesses a lone pair of electrons, which makes it capable of accepting a proton from an acid and acting as a base. Consequently, amidines can participate in acid-base reactions, forming salts with acids. Ammonium chloride, for instance, reacts with an amidine to produce an amidinium ion and chloride ion. This property is particularly useful in organic synthesis and pharmaceutical development.
In addition to their basicity, amidines exhibit various other chemical reactivities. They can undergo nucleophilic addition reactions, as the nitrogen atom can attack electrophilic centers in other molecules. Amidines are also commonly used as catalysts in different types of reactions, such as condensation reactions, polymerizations, and rearrangements.
Overall, amidines are versatile organic compounds with unique chemical properties that make them valuable tools in synthetic organic chemistry and pharmaceutical research.
A substance resulting from the action of hot water on starch.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
The word "amidine" is derived from the German term "Amidin", which was originally coined by Justus von Liebig in 1833. Liebig combined the suffix "idin" with "amid", referencing the organic compound's relationship with amides. The term "amid" itself comes from the Middle English word "amiddes" or "amidde", which means "in the middle" or "among". The word "amid" then evolved from Old English "on middan" meaning "in the middle". With the addition of the suffix "-ine", commonly used for naming chemical compounds, the term "Amidin" was transformed into "amidine" as it is known today.