Abstract:
The present invention relates to processes for the production of .alpha.-aryl-.beta.-ketonitriles, which serve as synthetic intermediates in the preparation of a series of biologically important molecules such as corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) receptor antagonists.
Abstract:
A method for purifying lactams by liquid-liquid extraction and/or processing with an ion exchange resin is disclosed. The method is useful for purifying lactams produced by the cyclising vapour-phase hydrolysis of an aliphatic aminonitrile, and comprises removing the major part of the ammonia before subjecting the lactam to liquid-liquid extraction by means of a solvent including an acidic solvent and/or contacting said lactam with a cation exchange resin. In most applications of the lactam, it is preferable to carry out a hydrogenation step on the compounds of the lactam solution comprising unsaturations, prior to or in addition to the liquid-liquid extraction step and/or the acidic resin contact step. The purification method may also include an oxidation step in addition to or instead of the hydrogenation step. Said method is preferably combined with a distillation step in the presence of a base.
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:
Process to prepare .epsilon.-caprolactam starting from a liquid aqueous mixture containing an alcohol and 6-aminocaproic acid by cyclization of 6-aminocaproic acid in the aqueous mixture at an elevated temperature. The alcohol is separated from the starting aqueous mixture before performing the cyclization to such extent that the concentration of alcohol in the aqueous mixture during the cyclization is less than 1 wt. %. The advantages include reduced amounts of undesirable by-product.
Abstract:
This invention relates to a composition comprising (a) epsilon caprolactam and (b) one or more of 5-�4,5-di(3-carboxypropyl)-2-pyridyl!pentanoic acid or salt or amide, 4-�4,5-di(2-carboxypropyl)-2-pyridyl!-2-methylbutanoic acid or salt or amide, 2-�2-(2-carboxybutyl)-5-(1-carboxypropyl)-4-pyridyl!butanoic acid or salt or amide, 5-�3,5-di(3-carboxypropyl)-2-pyridyl!pentanoic acid or salt or amide, 4-�3,5-di(2-carboxypropyl)-2-pyridyl!-2-methylbutanoic acid or salt or amide, 2-�-2-(2-carboxybutyl)-5-(1-carboxypropyl)-3-pyridyl!butanoic acid or salt or amide, 5-amino-4-methylpentanamide, 4-amino-3-ethylbutanamide, 5-�4,5-di(4-hydroxybutyl)-2-pyridyl!pentanol, 4-�4,5-di(2-methoxypropyl)-2-pyridyl!-2-methylbutanol, 2-�2-(2-methoxybutyl)-5-(1-methoxypropyl)-4-pyridyl!butanol, 5-�3,5-di(4-hydroxybutyl)-2-pyridyl!pentanol, 4-�3,5-di(2-methoxypropyl)-2-pyridyl!-2-methylbutanol, 2-�2-(2-methoxybutyl)-5-(1-methoxypropyl)-3-pyridyl!butanol, 5-amino-4-methyl-1-pentanol, 5-imino-2-methyl-1-pentanamine, 5-amino-2-methyl-1-pentanol, 5-imino-4-methyl-1-pentanamine and 2-butyl-4,5-dipropylpyridine, wherein the weight ratio of component (a) to component (b) is at least about 99 to 1. The epsilon caprolactam compositions are useful in the preparation of nylon 6.
Abstract:
Process to prepare .epsilon.-caprolactam starting from a liquid aqueous mixture containing an alcohol and 6-aminocaproic acid by cyclization of 6-aminocaproic acid in the aqueous mixture at an elevated temperature. The alcohol is separated from the starting aqueous mixture before performing the cyclization to such extent that the concentration of alcohol in the aqueous mixture during the cyclization is less than 1 wt. %. The advantages include reduced amounts of undesirable by-product.
Abstract:
Process for the preparation of .epsilon.-caprolactam starting from an aldehyde compound comprising at least one member from among 5-formylvaleric acid, ester or amide in which the aldehyde compound is allowed to react in the presence of ammonia and hydrogen and a subsequent cyclization of the reaction products thus formed (.epsilon.-caprolactam-precursors) to .epsilon.-caprolactam is performed in the presence of water, involved the combination of steps (a) contacting the 5-formylvaleric acid, ester or amide with ammonia and water under non-hydrogenation conditions, (b) contacting the resulting mixture of step (a) with hydrogen in the presence of ammonia under hydrogenation conditions, wherein the water content is greater than 10 wt. %, (c) heating the resulting mixture of step (b) at a temperature between 200.degree. and 350.degree. C. in order to convert the reaction products of step (b) to .epsilon.-caprolactam.
Abstract:
Caprolactam is prepared by reacting a solution of 6-aminocapronitrile with water in the liquid phase at elevated temperatures by a process in which(a) an aqueous solution of 6-aminocapronitrile in the liquid phase is heated without the addition of a catalyst in a reactor A to give a mixture I consisting essentially of water, caprolactam and a high-boiling fraction (high boiler), then(b) the water is removed from the resulting mixture I to give a mixture II consisting essentially of caprolactam and the high boilers, then(c) the caprolactam and the high boilers from mixture II are separated from one another by distillation, and then either(d1) the high boilers from stage (c) are fed into the reactor A of stage (a) or(d2) the high boilers are heated similarly to stage (a) in a further reactor B and then worked up similarly to stages (b) and (c) to give further caprolactam, or(d3) the high boilers are heated under reduced pressure in the presence of a base in a reactor C and the reacted mixture is worked up by distillation to give caprolactam.
Abstract:
Lactams, in particular epsilon-caprolactam (a basic starting material for the production of nylon 6), are selectively prepared by cyclizing/reacting the corresponding aminonitriles with water, in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of a deactivation-resistant solid metal phosphate having the general formula (II):MH.sub.h (PO.sub.4).sub.n .multidot.(Imp).sub.pin which M is a divalent, trivalent, tetravalent or pentavalent element selected from among those of Groups 2a, 3b, 4b, 5b, 6b, 7b, 8, 2b, 3a, 4a and 5a of the Periodic Table, or mixture thereof, or M=0; Imp is a basic impregnating compound which comprises an alkali or alkaline earth metal, or mixture thereof, together with an electrical neutrality-ensuing counteranion therefor; n is 1, 2 or 3; h is 0, 1 or 2; and p is a number ranging from 0 to 1/3, corresponding to the molar ratio between the moiety Imp and the moiety MH.sub.h (PO.sub.4).sub.n.