Diisopropanolamine

We want to flag an abbreviation collision directly, separate from but similar in kind to the DEA ambiguity elsewhere in our range: "DIPA" is the common abbreviation both for this compound (Diisopropanolamine, an alkanolamine) and for Diisopropylamine (a simple secondary alkylamine, also in our catalogue) — two different compounds with two different CAS numbers and two different functional profiles. Always confirm the CAS number rather than the bare abbreviation on a quote. This compound, CAS 110-97-4, is also notable among the alkanolamines in this range for being a solid at room temperature (melting point 42 °C), unlike every other alkanolamine here, which are liquids at normal ambient conditions.

Its hazard classification is genuinely lighter on paper than its close structural relatives: no EU CLP Annex VI harmonised entry was located, and the self-classification data we found lists only eye irritation (H319), signal word Warning — notably milder than Monoisopropanolamine's corrosive classification elsewhere in this range, despite the close structural similarity. We flag this honestly as worth independent SDS verification before publishing a hazard statement for compliance purposes, rather than assume the self-classification we found is necessarily complete. On the use side, this compound is specifically and by name documented in Shell's ADIP gas-treating process and in Sulfinol-type processes, used for Claus tail-gas treating, refinery gas, and LPG sweetening — a real, specific, named industrial role, though a narrower, process-specific niche rather than the general refinery-wide dominance documented for Diethanolamine. We checked specifically for a cement/construction-admixture use, by analogy with the cement-chemistry literature's hybrid DEIPA compound, and could not confirm one for plain Diisopropanolamine itself.

Where it fits in the synthesis chain

We supply Diisopropanolamine itself as a gas-treating amine and general chemical intermediate, strictly for non-cosmetic industrial use consistent with its EU cosmetics-regulation status (see below). We do not manufacture or supply finished gas-treating process services or any cosmetic product.

Grades we supply

99%+ technical grade is the standard commercial offering.

Diisopropanolamine is made industrially by reaction of propylene oxide with ammonia (or with monoisopropanolamine as a second-stage reactant), the same general process family used for Monoisopropanolamine.

The crude product is separated from its mono- and tri-substituted co-products by distillation, then cooled, solidified, and tested for purity and colour before packing as a solid.

Because this compound solidifies at 42 °C, finished-product packaging and handling are designed around its solid state at normal ambient temperature, unlike the liquid-handling systems used for the other alkanolamines in this range.

A mild self-classification worth double-checking, and an abbreviation collision worth flagging

Two things deserve direct statement here. First, "DIPA" is shared between this compound and the unrelated alkylamine Diisopropylamine elsewhere in our catalogue -- confirm the CAS number, not the abbreviation. Second, the self-classification data we located for this compound (eye irritation only, Warning) looks notably milder than its close structural relative Monoisopropanolamine's corrosive classification, despite the two compounds' obvious structural similarity. A single aggregator source is not sufficient certainty for a hazard statement used for compliance purposes, so we flag this gap honestly and recommend checking a current supplier SDS directly before relying on either compound's classification for shipping or handling decisions.