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Background | CK-12 Foundation Skip Navigation  The structure of
a primary amine.  Amines are organic compounds that contain the
element nitrogen. Nitrogen has five electrons, so amines will
have a lone electron pair attached to the nitrogen. This lone
pair can attract H+ atoms, making amines basic.  The boiling
point of amines is higher than that of alkanes because amines
are capable of donating and accepting hydrogen bonds. The more
electronegative nitrogen attracts electrons more strongly than
the hydrogen does, leaving the hydrogens to be more positively
charged. These hydrogens can then participate in hydrogen
bonding and become attracted to other molecules. In addition,
the lone pair on the nitrogen will be attracted to hydrogens on
other molecules. Breaking these hydrogen bonds will require
additional energy, thus increasing the boiling point of amines.
However, the boiling points of amines are generally lower than
that of alcohols.  This illus