Amide solvents

Dimethylformamide, DMF is an organic compound with the chemical formula . Its structure is . Commonly abbreviated as DMF (although this initialism is sometimes used for dimethylfuran, or dimethyl fumarate), this colourless liquid is miscible with water and the majority of organic liquids. DMF is a common solvent for chemical reactions. Dimethylformamide is odorless, but technical-grade or degraded samples often have a fishy smell due to impurity of dimethylamine. Dimethylamine degradation impurities can be removed by sparging samples with an inert gas such as argon or by sonicating the samples

Formamide is an amide derived from formic acid. It is a colorless liquid which is miscible with water and has an ammonia-like odor. It is chemical feedstock for the manufacture of sulfa drugs and other pharmaceuticals, herbicides and pesticides, and in the manufacture of hydrocyanic acid. It has been used as a softener for paper and fiber. It is a solvent for many ionic compounds. It has also been used as a solvent for resins and plasticizers. Some astrobiologists suggest that it may be an alternative to water as the main solvent in other forms of life.

Dimethylacetamide (DMAc or DMA) is the organic compound with the formula CH3C(O)N(CH3)2. This colorless, water-miscible, high-boiling liquid is commonly used as a polar solvent in organic synthesis. DMA is miscible with most other solvents, although it is poorly soluble in aliphatic hydrocarbons.

2-Pyrrolidone, also known as 2-pyrrolidinone or butyrolactam, is an organic compound consisting of a 5-membered lactam, making it the simplest γ-lactam. It is a colorless liquid that is miscible with water and most common organic solvents.

'''N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP''') is an organic compound consisting of a 5-membered lactam. It is a colorless liquid, although impure samples can appear yellow. It is miscible with water and with most common organic solvents. It also belongs to the class of dipolar aprotic solvents such as dimethylformamide and dimethyl sulfoxide. It is used in the petrochemical, polymer and battery industries as a solvent, exploiting its nonvolatility and ability to dissolve diverse materials (including polyvinylidene difluoride, PVDF). It has a strong dipole moment and hydrogen bonding due to its cis-amide

'''N,N′-Dimethylpropyleneurea (DMPU''') is a cyclic urea sometimes used as a polar, aprotic organic solvent. Along with the dimethylethyleneurea, it was introduced as an analog of tetramethylurea.

'''N-Vinylpyrrolidone (NVP''') is an organic compound consisting of a 5-membered lactam ring linked to a (2 carbon) vinyl group. It is a colorless liquid although commercial samples can appear yellowish.

1,3-Dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI) is a cyclic urea used as a high-boiling polar aprotic solvent. This colourless, highly polar solvent has high thermal and chemical stability. Together with homologous solvent DMPU, since the 1970s it serves as an analog of tetramethylurea. It can be prepared from 1,2-dimethylethylenediamine by reaction with phosgene.

'''N-Methylformamide''' (NMF) is a colorless, nearly odorless, organic compound and secondary amide with molecular formula , which is a liquid at room temperature. NMF is mainly used as a reagent in various organic syntheses with limited applications as a highly polar solvent.

Tetramethylurea (TMU) is the organic compound with the formula (Me2N)2CO. It is a substituted urea. This colorless liquid is used as an aprotic-polar solvent, especially for aromatic compounds and is used e. g. for Grignard reagents. Tetramethylurea is a colorless liquid with mild aromatic odor. Unusual for an urea is the liquid state of tetramethylurea in a range of > 170 °C.

Diethylformamide is an organic compound with the formula C5H11NO. As its name indicates, it is structurally related to formamide, having two ethyl groups in place of the two hydrogens. It is used in place of the related dimethylformamide for niche applications.

'''N-Formylmorpholine''' is the organic compound with the formula O(C2H4)2NCHO. It is the formamide of morpholine (O(C2H4)2NH). A colorless compound, it is a useful high temperature solvent akin to dimethylformamide. It has been used as a formylating agent.