High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Triethanolamine, often abbreviated as TEA, is an organic chemical compound which is both a tertiary amine and a triol. A triol is a molecule with three alcohol groups. Like other amines, triethanolamine is a strong base due to the lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atom. Triethanolamine can also be abbreviated as TEOA, which can help to distinguish it from triethylamine. Approximately 150000 metric tons were produced in 1999.