Abstract:
A HOMOGENEOUS LIQUID PHASE PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING HYDROGEN CYANIDE AND AN ORGANOSILICON COMPOUND CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE UNSATURATED SUBSTITUENT IN THE PRESENCE OF A ZERO-VALENT NICKEL, PALLADIUM OR PLATINUM COMPLEX, UNDER SUCH CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE AS TO MAINTAIN A LIQUID PHASE REACTION MIXTURE. IN A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT, EXCESS, NON-REACTIVE LIGAND IS ADDED TO THE RECTION MIXTURE IN SUCH AN AMOUNT THAT THE RATIO OF MOLES OF EXCESS LIGAND (WHICH CAN BE THE SAME AS OR DIFFERENT FROM THE LIGAND IN THE CATALYST COMPLEX) TO MOLES OF HCN IS VARIED WITHIN THE RANGE OF 0.1 TO 1 TO 25 TO 1 IN ORDER TO GREATLY INCREASE THE TURNOVER OF THE CATALYST, I.E., NUMBER OF MOLES OF PRODUCT PER MOLE OF CATALYST.