Amines Organic bases derived from ammonia basicity

Organic derivatives of ammonia are called amines. Because nitrogen is trivalent, amines can be primary (attached to one carbon), secondary (attached to two carbons), or tertiary. All amines are basic, and their strength as bases increases with the number of alkyl groups attached to the nitrogen that is, methyl amine is a stronger base than ammonia and trimethylamine is stronger than dimethylamine. Amines can be prepared from ammonia and an alkyl halide ... 

Just as ammonia, NH3, is a weak base, there are a large number of nitro-gen-containii organic compounds called amines that are also weak bases. In the early days of organic chemistry, basic amines derived from natural sources were known as vegetable alkali, but they are now referred to as alkaloids. The study of alkaloids provided much of the impetus for the growth of organic chemistry in the nineteenth century, and it remains today a fascinating area of research. 

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