Ethanolamine
chemical compound
Ethanolamine (2-aminoethanol, monoethanolamine, ETA, or MEA) is a naturally occurring organic chemical compound with the formula H2NCH2CH2OH or C2H7NO. The molecule is bifunctional, containing both a primary amine and a primary alcohol. Ethanolamine is a colorless, viscous liquid with an odor reminiscent of ammonia.
Ethanolamine is commonly called monoethanolamine or MEA in order to be distinguished from diethanolamine (DEA) and triethanolamine (TEOA). The ethanolamines comprise a group of amino alcohols. A class of antihistamines is identified as ethanolamines, which includes carbinoxamine, clemastine, dimenhydrinate, chlorphenoxamine, diphenhydramine and doxylamine.
History
Ethanolamines, or in particular, their salts, were discovered by Charles Adolphe Wurtz in 1860 by heating 2-chloroethanol with ammonia solution while studying derivatives of ethylene oxide he discovered a year earlier. He wasn't able to separate the salts or isolate any free bases.
In 1897 Ludwig Knorr developed the modern industrial route (see below) and separated the products, including MEA, by fractional distillation, for the first time studying their properties.
None of the ethanolamines were of any commercial importance until after the WWII industrial production of ethylene oxide took off.
Occurrence in nature
MEA molecules are a component in the formation of cellular membranes and are thus a molecular building block for life.
“Ethanolamine” enters the record as chemical compound. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Ethanolamine, chemical and compound can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Ethanolamine” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Ethanolamine, chemical and compound provides the most credible route into that argument.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q410387. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1860 and 1897.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Ethanolamine”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Ethanolamine primary sources, Ethanolamine archive and Ethanolamine research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ethanolamine”?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Ethanolamine” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.