What is a major drawback of the ammonolysis of alkyl halides? How can this be overcome?
Ammonolysis yields a mixture of primary, secondary and tertiary amines and also quaternary ammonium salts. This is because the amine formed in the first step can further react with the alkyl halide. This issue is addressed to some extent by using a large excess of ammonia which favors the formation of the primary amine.