''N''-Ethyl-''N''-(2-chloroethyl)aniline is the

organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. The ...

with the formula C₆H₅N(Et)(CH₂CH₂Cl) (Et =

ethyl Ethyl may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Cold Ethyl, a Swedish rock band *Ethyl Sinclair, a character in the ''Dinosaurs'' television show Science and technology * Ethyl group, an organic chemistry moiety * Ethyl alcohol (or ethanol) * E ...

). It is a low-melting colorless solid that is an

alkylating agent Alkylation is the transfer of an alkyl group from one molecule to another. The alkyl group may be transferred as an alkyl carbocation, a free radical, a carbanion, or a carbene (or their equivalents). Alkylating agents are reagents for effecting al ...

. The compound is a precursor to several cationic

azo dye Azo dyes are organic compounds bearing the functional group R−N=N−R′, in which R and R′ are usually aryl and substituted aryl groups. They are a commercially important family of azo compounds, i.e. compounds containing the C-N=N ...

s via reaction of the chloroethyl group with tertiary amines or pyridine followed by

azo coupling In organic chemistry, an azo coupling is an organic reaction between a diazonium compound () and another aromatic compound that produces an azo compound (). In this electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction, the aryldiazonium cation is the ...

. Examples of derived dyes include C. I.

Basic Red 18 Basic Red 18 is a cationic azo dye used for coloring textiles. The chromophore is the cation, which contains many functional groups, but most prominently the quaternary ammonium center. It is produced by azo coupling of 2-chloro-4-nitrophenyldiaz ...

, Maxilon Red 2GL, and Yoracryl Red 2G..

References

{{aromatic-stub Anilines