Abstract:
Process for the preparation of a linear .omega.-formyl-carboxylic acid or a corresponding linear formylnitrile compound starting from an internally unsaturated C.sub.4 -C.sub.12 carboxylic acid or a corresponding ester or nitrile by means of hydroformylation in the presence of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and a catalyst system, wherein the hydroformylation is carried out in an aqueous medium and in that the catalyst system comprises platinum and a water-soluble organic bidentate ligand.
Abstract:
A process for the preparation of five-membered or six-membered ring lactams from aliphatic .alpha., .omega.-dinitriles has been developed. In the process an aliphatic .alpha.,.omega.-dinitrile is first converted to an ammonium salt of an .omega.-nitrilecarboxylic acid in aqueous solution using a catalyst having an aliphatic nitrilase (EC 3.5.5.7) activity, or a combination of nitrile hydratase (EC 4.2.1.84) and amidase (EC 3.5.1.4) activities. The ammonium salt of the .omega.-nitrilecarboxylic acid is then converted directly to the corresponding lactam by hydrogenation in aqueous solution, without isolation of the intermediate .omega.-nitrilecarboxylic acid or .omega.-aminocarboxylic acid. When the aliphatic .alpha.,.omega.-dinitrile is also unsymmetrically substituted at the .alpha.-carbon atom, the nitrilase produces the .omega.-nitrilecarboxylic acid ammonium salt resulting from hydrolysis of the .omega.-nitrile group with greater than 98% regioselectivity, thereby producing only one of the two possible lactam products during the subsequent hydrogenation. A heat-treatment process to select for desirable regioselective nitrilase or nitrile hydratase activities while destroying undesirable activities is also provided.
Abstract:
This continuous process for preparing an aqueous mixture of .di-elect cons.-caprolactam and 6-aminocaproic acid and/or 6-aminocaproamide by involves, as the reductive amination step, continuously contacting 5-formylvaleric acid or an alkyl 5-formylvalerate in water as solvent with hydrogen and an excess of ammonia in the presence of a ruthenium on carrier, as a catalyst, wherein the carrier is at least one of titanium oxide or zirconium oxide. The aqueous mixture can be used to prepare .di-elect cons.-caprolactam.
Abstract:
A process for the preparation of five-membered or six-membered ring lactams from aliphatic .alpha.,.omega.-dinitriles has been developed. In the process an aliphatic .alpha.,.omega.-dinitrile is first converted to an ammonium salt of an .omega.-nitrilecarboxylic acid in aqueous solution using a catalyst having an aliphatic nitrilase (EC 3.5.5.7) activity, or a combination of nitrile hydratase (EC 4.2.1.84) and amidase (EC 3.5.1.4) activities. The aimnonium salt of the .omega.-nitrilecarboxylic acid is then converted directly to the corresponding lactam by hydrogenation in aqueous solution, without isolation of the intermediate .omega.-nitrilecarboxylic acid or .omega.-monocarboxylic acid. When the aliphatic .alpha.,.omega.-dinitrile is also unsymmetrically substituted at the .alpha.-carbon atom, the nitrilase produces the .omega.-nitrilecarboxylic acid ammonium salt resulting from hydrolysis of the .omega.-nitrile group with greater than 98% regioselectivity, thereby producing only one of the two possible lactam products during the subsequent hydrogenation. A heat-treatment process to select for desirable regioselective nitrilase or nitrile hydratase activities while destroying undesirable activities is also provided.
Abstract:
A process for the preparation of five-membered or six-membered ring lactams from aliphatic .alpha.,.omega.-dinitriles has been developed. In the process an aliphatic .alpha.,.omega.-dinitrile is first converted to an ammonium salt of an .omega.-nitrile-carboxylic acid in aqueous solution using a catalyst having an aliphatic nitrilase (EC 3.5.5.7) activity, or a combination of nitrile hydratase (EC 4.2.1.84) and amidase (EC 3.5.1.4) activities. The ammonium salt of the .omega.-nitrilecarboxylic acid is then converted directly to the corresponding lactam by hydrogenation in aqueous solution, without isolation of the intermediate .omega.-nitrilecarboxylic acid or .omega.-aminocarboxylic acid. When the aliphatic .alpha.,.omega.-dinitrile is also unsymmetrically substituted at the .alpha.-carbon atom, the nitrilase produces the .omega.-nitrilecarboxylic acid ammonium salt resulting from hydrolysis of the .omega.-nitrile group with greater than 98% regioselectivity, thereby producing only one of the two possible lactam products during the subsequent hydrogenation. A heat-treatment process to select for desirable regioselective nitrilase or nitrile hydratase activities while destroying undesirable activities is also provided.
Abstract:
A method of making caprolactam from aminohexanoic acid or aminohexanoate ester comprising the steps of: (a) obtaining a reactor containing at least one catalyst, the catalyst being a metal oxide having acid-base-paired active sites; (b) charging a reaction feed into the reactor, the reaction feed containing a reactant, which is either amniohexanoic acid or C.sub.1 to C.sub.12 alkyl aminohexanoate ester, and a solvent; (c) reacting the reaction feed at a reaction temperature between 140.degree. and 300.degree. C. and a reaction pressure between 10 and 100 atm, to form a product stream; and (d) separating caprolactam from the product stream. The metal oxide catalyst is prepared from a process comprising the steps of: (a) dissolving at least a metal salt, which is not a metal oxide, in a solvent to form a metal salt solution, wherein: (i) the metal salt contains a metal element selected from the group consisting of silicon, titanium, tin, barium, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, and zinc; (ii) the solvent is selected from the group consisting of water, alcohol, ether, and mixtures thereof, and (iii) the metal salt is a salt which is soluble in the solvent; (b) adjusting the pH of the metal salt solution to be between 8 and 11, to thereby cause a precipitation of metal hydroxide; and (c) calcining the metal hydroxide at 300.degree. to 1,000.degree. C. to form a metal oxide.
Abstract:
Crude capronitrile is purified by hydrogenation, subsequent treatment in an acidic medium and subsequent distillation in an alkaline medium, by a process in which(a) 6-aminocapronitrile is converted into crude caprolactam by reaction with water,(b) high boilers and low boilers are separated off from the crude caprolactam from step (a),(c) the crude caprolactam from step (b) is treated with hydrogen at from 50.degree. to 150.degree. C. and from 1.5 to 250 bar in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst and, if desired, of a solvent to give a mixture A,(d1) mixture A in a solvent is passed, at from 30.degree. to 80.degree. C. and from 1 to 5 bar, over an ion exchanger containing terminal acid groups to give a mixture B1, or(d2) mixture A is distilled in the presence of sulfuric acid, any solvent present being removed before the addition of the sulfuric acid, to give a mixture B2, and(e) mixture B1 or mixture B2 is distilled in the presence of a base to give pure caprolactam.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a process for producing pyrrolidone and N-alkyl pyrrolidones from saturated or unsaturated 1,4-dicarboxylic acids or their anhydrides, hydrogen, and a primary amine, characterized in that the dicarboxylic acid or its anhydride is allowed to react in an appropriate reactor with hydrogen or ammonia via a first catalyst bed and the unisolated intermediate product is subsequently reacted with the primary amine or ammonia directly via a second, downstream catalyst bed.
Abstract:
The preparation of N-substituted 2-pyrrolidones (I) by the reaction of maleic acid, fumaric acid, or succinic acid or functional derivatives of these acids (compounds II) with a primary amine (III) or by the reaction of amides or imides derived from II and III under hydrogenating conditions in a synthesis stage followed by isolation, by distillation, of I and other volatile components from the resulting reaction mixture, in which the residues present following distillation are subjected to further hydrogenation treatment and the compound (I) thus formed is isolated by distillation.