Dimethylformamide (DMF)
The solvent that made wet-process synthetic leather and spandex possible, and a Category 1B reproductive toxicant now restricted across the EU. Both facts are load-bearing for anyone buying it.
Molecular Structure
What is Dimethylformamide (DMF)?
Dimethylformamide is the simplest disubstituted amide — a formyl group on a dimethylated nitrogen. That structure gives a strongly polar aprotic solvent with no acidic hydrogen, miscible with water and with essentially every organic solvent, boiling at 153 °C and chemically stable enough to be used at temperature. Very few solvents dissolve as wide a range of polymers and salts.
It is made by reacting dimethylamine with carbon monoxide, either directly or through methyl formate. Its two dominant markets both exploit the same property: DMF dissolves polyurethane, and it is fully miscible with water. Wet-process synthetic leather relies on that combination — a PU-in-DMF solution is coated onto fabric and immersed in water, the DMF diffuses out, and the polyurethane coagulates into the porous structure that gives the material its handle.
Spandex fibre is spun from a similar solution, and DMF also serves acrylic fibre spinning, pharmaceutical synthesis and butadiene extraction. Almost all of it is recovered and redistilled in use, which is both an economic necessity and, increasingly, a regulatory one.
DMF is classified in the EU as Repr. 1B — may damage the unborn child — and is restricted under REACH Annex XVII entry 76. Since December 2023 it may only be placed on the market and used at 0.3% or above where the derived no-effect levels are met and the supplier provides an exposure scenario the user implements. Skin absorption is substantial, so the dermal limit governs as much as the airborne one.
Quick Reference
Key Physical & Chemical Properties
Structure & Bonding
A formyl group attached to a nitrogen carrying two methyls. The amide carbonyl makes the molecule strongly polar while the fully substituted nitrogen leaves no acidic hydrogen — a polar aprotic solvent that dissolves polyurethanes, acrylics and inorganic salts alike.
Skeletal structure — formyl group on a dimethylated nitrogen
Structural Identity
- IUPAC NameN,N-Dimethylformamide
- Common namesDMF, dimethyl formamide
- Molecular FormulaC₃H₇NO
- Molecular Weight73.09 g/mol
- Functional groupTertiary amide
- Solvent classPolar aprotic
- DissolvesPolyurethane, PAN, PVC, many salts
- Made fromDimethylamine + carbon monoxide
- BiomarkerN-Methylformamide in urine
- CAS Number68-12-2
- InChI KeyZMXDDKWLCZADIW-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Product Specifications
Chelora supplies Dimethylformamide (DMF) in standard and custom grades. Contact us for specification sheets tailored to your process.
| Chemical name | N,N-Dimethylformamide |
|---|---|
| CAS Number | 68-12-2 |
| Molecular formula | C₃H₇NO |
| Molecular weight | 73.09 g/mol |
| Purity (min) | ≥ 99.90 wt% |
| Water (max) | ≤ 0.05 wt% (Karl Fischer) |
| Dimethylamine (max) | ≤ 10 ppm wt |
| Formic acid / acidity as HCOOH (max) | ≤ 0.005 wt% |
| Colour (max) | ≤ 10 Pt-Co (Hazen) |
| Methanol (max) | ≤ 0.02 wt% |
| Non-volatile residue (max) | ≤ 20 ppm wt |
| Iron (max) | ≤ 0.20 ppm wt |
| Specific gravity | 0.9430 – 0.9460 at 20/20 °C |
| Distillation range | 152 – 154 °C |
| Flash point | 58 °C (closed cup) |
| Autoignition temperature | 445 °C |
| Flammable limits | 2.2 – 15.2% v/v in air |
| Regulatory | REACH Annex XVII entry 76 — DNELs and RMM required |
| Transport classification | UN 2265, Class 3, PG III |
Downstream Applications & Derivatives
Key derivative chains and industrial uses of Dimethylformamide (DMF).
PU Synthetic Leather
The largest outlet. Polyurethane dissolved in DMF is coated onto fabric and coagulated in a water bath, and the DMF diffusing out leaves the porous structure that gives synthetic leather its handle.
Spandex & Acrylic Fibre
Dry spinning of elastane from PU solution, and solution spinning of acrylic fibre from polyacrylonitrile, both of which need a solvent that dissolves the polymer and evaporates cleanly.
Pharmaceutical Synthesis
A standard reaction solvent for amide couplings, substitutions and heterocyclic chemistry, where its polarity and high boiling point suit reactions run hot.
Butadiene Extraction
Extractive distillation of butadiene from mixed C4 streams, exploiting DMF's selectivity for the more unsaturated components.
Coatings & Films
Solvent for polyurethane, polyimide and PVDF coatings and membranes, and for casting films where a high-boiling polar solvent is required.
Electronics & Agrochemical
Photoresist and cleaning formulations in electronics, and a carrier solvent in agrochemical concentrate formulation.
Why source Dimethylformamide (DMF) through Chelora Petrochem?
Verified Origin
Full origin certification and asset-backed supply chain documentation — no grey-market supply for a substance under restriction.
Grade Flexibility
Technical, fibre and synthesis grades supplied. We certify water, dimethylamine and acidity, since those govern both PU solution stability and the corrosion behaviour of your recovery loop.
Full Documentation
CoA, SDS with the exposure scenario and DNELs required under REACH Annex XVII entry 76, SVHC communication under Article 33, UN 2265 transport documents, and destination-market regulatory confirmation.
Logistics Support
Experienced in polar solvent logistics — ISO tanks, road tankers, drums and IBCs with moisture protection and closed-transfer provision, for Indian and international delivery.
Storage & Handling Guidelines
Always refer to the full SDS before handling. The following is a summary of key requirements.
- Design handling around skin absorption. DMF passes through intact skin in toxicologically significant quantity, so glove selection and closed transfer matter as much as ventilation — and gloves adequate for other solvents often are not adequate here.
- Select gloves against DMF permeation data specifically, and define a change frequency. Breakthrough on several common glove materials is measured in minutes rather than hours.
- Use biological monitoring where regular exposure occurs. N-methylformamide in urine is the established biomarker and captures dermal uptake that air monitoring alone will miss entirely.
- Document the risk management measures and operational conditions. Under REACH Annex XVII entry 76, compliance with the DNELs and implementation of the supplied exposure scenario is a legal condition of use, not good practice.
- Ensure the exposure assessment explicitly covers workers who are or may become pregnant. The Repr. 1B classification concerns developmental toxicity and controls must be in place before exposure, not after.
- Brief operators on the alcohol interaction. DMF exposure commonly produces facial flushing and intolerance after drinking alcohol, and that reaction is a useful early signal that exposure control has failed.
- Keep it dry and free of amine. DMF slowly hydrolyses to dimethylamine and formic acid, faster when hot or in the presence of acid or base, and the acid produced attacks carbon steel and degrades PU solutions.
- Use stainless steel for wetted parts, particularly in recovery and redistillation, where the combination of heat and traces of formic acid is most aggressive.
- Provide eyewash and washing facilities, and treat every skin contact as an exposure event rather than a nuisance splash.
Hazard Summary
Classification: Repr. 1B (H360D, may damage the unborn child), Acute Tox. 4 by inhalation and dermal routes (H332, H312), Eye Irrit. 2 (H319), Flam. Liq. 3 (H226). DMF is on the REACH Candidate List as a Substance of Very High Concern and is restricted under REACH Annex XVII entry 76.
The restriction is a condition of use, not a ban: since 12 December 2023, DMF may be placed on the market and used in the EU as a substance or in mixtures at 0.3% or above only where the derived no-effect levels are complied with — 6 mg/m³ for inhalation and 1.1 mg/kg body weight per day for dermal exposure — and where appropriate risk management measures and operational conditions are provided and implemented. Confirm the position for your destination market, as other jurisdictions have their own controls.
Skin absorption is the dominant route: DMF is absorbed rapidly and substantially through intact skin. Air monitoring can show comfortable concentrations while the real dose arrives through the hands, which is why REACH sets a separate dermal DNEL and why biological monitoring is the more reliable check.
Hepatotoxicity: DMF causes liver injury on repeated exposure, showing as raised serum transaminases and, in significant exposures, clinical hepatitis. Health surveillance including liver function testing is appropriate wherever regular exposure occurs.
Alcohol intolerance: exposed workers commonly experience facial flushing, nausea and palpitations after drinking alcohol, a disulfiram-like reaction that can persist for days after exposure. It is unpleasant rather than dangerous, but it is a reliable indicator that exposure has occurred and should be investigated rather than tolerated.
Developmental toxicity: the Repr. 1B classification is based on effects on the unborn child. Exposure should be prevented rather than limited, and the assessment must consider pregnancy explicitly.
Hydrolysis and corrosion: DMF slowly hydrolyses to dimethylamine and formic acid, accelerated by heat, water, acid or base. The formic acid attacks carbon steel, and the amine degrades polyurethane solutions — a quality and equipment issue as well as an odour one.
PPE minimum: chemical goggles, gloves selected against DMF permeation data and changed on schedule, chemical protective clothing preventing skin contact, with respiratory protection where vapour or mist cannot be controlled by enclosure.
Consult the full SDS and the supplied exposure scenario, and confirm your risk management measures meet the DNELs before use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technical and commercial questions about Dimethylformamide (DMF) sourcing and specifications.
What is DMF used for?
Polyurethane synthetic leather is the largest outlet, where PU dissolved in DMF is coagulated in a water bath to build the porous coating. Spandex and acrylic fibre spinning are the next largest, both spinning from polymer solutions in DMF. Beyond fibres and coatings, DMF is a standard pharmaceutical synthesis solvent, an extractive distillation solvent for recovering butadiene from C4 streams, and a solvent for polyimide and PVDF coatings and membranes.
Is DMF banned, and can I still use it?
It is restricted rather than banned. Under REACH Annex XVII entry 76, applicable since December 2023, DMF may be placed on the market and used in the EU at 0.3% or above only where the derived no-effect levels are met — 6 mg/m³ inhalation and 1.1 mg/kg body weight per day dermal — and where the supplier provides an exposure scenario and the downstream user implements it. Industrial use with proper containment continues; poorly controlled use does not. This mirrors the approach taken with NMP under entry 71. Positions in other jurisdictions differ and should be confirmed for the destination market.
Why does DMF cause liver effects and alcohol intolerance?
Both trace to how it is metabolised. DMF is oxidised in the liver, and the intermediates formed — including a reactive methyl isocyanate species — bind to liver proteins, which is the basis of the hepatotoxicity seen as raised transaminases in exposed workers. The alcohol interaction arises because those same metabolic intermediates interfere with aldehyde dehydrogenase, the enzyme that clears acetaldehyde from alcohol metabolism. Acetaldehyde accumulates and produces the flushing, nausea and palpitations characteristic of a disulfiram reaction. Practically, a worker who starts flushing after a single drink is telling you the exposure controls are not working.
Why does skin absorption matter so much?
Because it inverts the usual assumption about solvent exposure. DMF has a relatively low vapour pressure, so air monitoring in a reasonably ventilated plant often reads comfortably, and the operation appears controlled. But DMF crosses intact skin readily, and in operations involving hand contact with wetted fabric, coated rolls or process equipment, dermal uptake can dominate total dose. That is why REACH specifies a separate dermal DNEL and why urinary N-methylformamide is the recommended monitoring approach — it measures what actually got in, by whichever route.
What is happening to DMF in synthetic leather manufacture?
It is under sustained substitution pressure, driven by both regulation and brand requirements. The wet coagulation process is inherently DMF-intensive and, although modern plants recover and redistil most of it, worker exposure and effluent management remain difficult. The alternatives being adopted are water-based polyurethane dispersions and solvent-free PU systems, both of which avoid DMF entirely but produce a different handle and require different equipment. Several major footwear and apparel brands now restrict DMF in their supply chains, which is moving the industry faster than regulation alone would. Anyone taking a long position should factor that in.
What documentation does Chelora provide?
Every shipment includes a Certificate of Analysis covering purity, water, dimethylamine, acidity as formic acid, colour, methanol, non-volatile residue, iron, specific gravity and distillation range; a Safety Data Sheet to GHS and REACH format including the exposure scenario and DNELs required under Annex XVII entry 76; SVHC communication under REACH Article 33; UN 2265 Class 3 dangerous goods documentation; an origin certificate; and destination-market regulatory confirmation for the declared use.
Request a quote or specification sheet
Talk to Chelora's sourcing team about Dimethylformamide (DMF) grade, volume, logistics, documentation, and lead times. We respond within one business day.
