High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! N,N-Diisopropylethylamine, or Hünig's base, DIPEA or DIEA, is an organic compound and an amine. It is used in organic chemistry as a base. Because the nitrogen atom is shielded by the two isopropyl groups and an ethyl group only a proton is small enough to easily fit. Just like 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, this compound is a good base but a poor nucleophile which makes it a useful organic reagent.Hunig's base is commercially available. It is traditionally prepared by the reaction of diisopropylamine with diethyl sulfate.Hünig's base was investigated for its use as a selective reagent in the alkylation of secondary amines to tertiary amines by alkyl halides. This organic reaction is often hampered by a quaternization reaction to the quaternary ammonium salt but this side-reaction is absent when Hünig's base is present.