Question

Convert, acetamide into ethyl amine.

Hint:

Be careful! Hoffmann Bromamide degradation of acetamide would remove one carbon and yield methyl amine (\(CH_3NH_2\)). To keep the same number of carbons, use reduction.

Answer 1

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Reduction of amides can be carried out using strong reducing agents like \(LiAlH_4\). This process converts the carbonyl group (\(>C=O\)) of the amide into a methylene group (\(-CH_2-\)) without changing the number of carbon atoms. 
Step 3: Detailed Explanation: 
Acetamide (\(CH_3CONH_2\)) contains two carbon atoms. 
When it is treated with \(LiAlH_4\) in ether, followed by hydrolysis, the amide group is reduced to an amine group. 
The product is ethyl amine (\(CH_3CH_2NH_2\)). 
Chemical Equation: 
\[ CH_3-CO-NH_2 \xrightarrow[ii) H_2O]{i) LiAlH_4 / \text{ether}} CH_3-CH_2-NH_2 \] 
Step 4: Final Answer: 
Acetamide is converted to ethyl amine by reduction with \(LiAlH_4\).