Using nitriles

• Nitriles can be reduced to primary amines by reduction, using the reducing agent lithium aluminium hydride. This is a much more efficient method of producing primary aliphatic amines than halogenoalkanes.
• The reagents in the preparation of primary aliphatic amine from nitriles are mixed in dry ether. This removes any water (impurity) that could affect the reaction outcome.
• One disadvantage of the preparation of primary aliphatic amines from nitriles is that it is a two step reaction, meaning it could result in a lower yield of primary amine.