Dimethylformamide (abbreviation DMF), also known as N,N-dimethylformamide, is a dimethyl substitute of formamide, and both methyl groups are located on N (nitrogen) atoms, so it is name. As an important chemical raw material and excellent solvent, DMF is widely used in polyurethane, acrylic, food additives, medicine, pesticides, dyes, electronics and other industries.

DMF is a colorless and transparent liquid with high boiling point, low freezing point, good chemical and thermal stability, and is miscible with water and most organic solvents. It is a commonly used solvent for chemical reactions and is called a “universal solvent”: DMF is used The acrylic fiber produced by the dry spinning process of solvent-based acrylic fiber has the characteristics of good hydrophobicity, strong covering power, soft texture, and strong hand feel; in the production of wet polyester synthetic leather, DMF can be used as a washing and curing agent for polyurethane resin. It is used for coating various extensible materials, and when used for leather dyeing, it can make the color of the leather uniform and non-fading; due to its strong dissolving ability, DMF is used as a solvent in dyes and used for dyeing synthetic fibers, which can improve the uniformity of the leather. Dyeing properties; as a selective solvent used in separation processes, DMF can be used for the selective absorption of various hydrocarbons and inorganic gases. For example, DMF is used to wash ethylene to remove acetylene, thereby purifying ethylene. DMF can also be used to extract isoprene, piperylene, etc. from the exhaust gas of ethylene plant production for the synthesis of unsaturated resin; DMF can also be used as a selective solvent for extraction processes in the field of petroleum processing. For example: in polycarboxylic acid systems that have similar properties and are difficult to separate, such as isophthalic acid and terephthalic acid, they can be easily separated by DMF solvent extraction or stepwise recrystallization.

In organic reactions, dimethylformamide is not only widely used as a reaction solvent, but also an important intermediate in organic synthesis. In the pharmaceutical industry, as a synthetic drug intermediate, it is widely used in the production of doxycycline, cortisone, and sulfonamide drugs; in the pesticide industry, it is used to synthesize high-efficiency and low-toxic pesticides and insecticides.

As a reaction medium for chemical synthesis, DMF can be used as a crystallization solvent for the purification of pharmaceuticals. In the electronics industry, it can be used to adjust the viscosity of the curing agent for copper clad laminates. DMF can also be used as a carrier solvent to form a polymeric crystal with BF3 (boron trifluoride), making BF3 change from gas to solid and easy to transport. As a polar (hydrophilic) aprotic solvent with a high boiling point, it can promote the bimolecular nucleophilic substitution reaction (SN₂) mechanism. In addition, dimethylformamide has a catalytic effect in hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, dehydration and dehydrohalogenation reactions, which reduces the reaction temperature and improves product purity.

It seems that DMF is worthy of the title of “universal solvent”. This variety of uses will be difficult to surpass in a short time.

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