A Simple Preparation of Amides from Acids and Amines by Heating of Their Mixture

Abstract Heating a mixture of an amine and an acid is demonstrated as the method of choice for the preparation of many amides. The yields depend on the physical properties and thermal stability of the reactants and range from good to excellent. The ideal reactants should have melting points below 200 °C, should not be highly volatile and should be thermally stable at that temperature for 30 minutes. Some of those disadvantages can be overcome by using acid esters instead of an acid in the reaction. The method stands out among the others by its simplicity, low cost and short reaction time. Also it can be performed in very large scale, does not require solvent and special purification of the reactants.