Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft

Anton Fruth

Herbert Stuhler

Julius Strauss

Process for the preparation of saturated primary fatty amines by hydrogenation of the corresponding unsaturated primary fatty amines In the novel process, the hydrogenation of the double bonds in an unsaturated primary fatty amine is achieved by reaction of the unsaturated primary fatty amine with hydrogen at a temperature of 80.degree. to 160.degree. C. and a pressure of 1 to 40 bar in the liquid phase and in the presence of 0.1 to 10% by weight of a nickel catalyst or cobalt catalyst. If the fatty amine to be hydrogenated contains ammonia, the latter is substantially removed before the hydrogenation process.

Process for the preparation of saturated primary fatty amines by

According to the new process, the hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acid nitriles or mixtures of unsaturated and saturated fatty acid nitriles is carried out in the liquid phase in the presence of nickel catalysts or cobalt catalysts. In a first reaction step the fatty acid nitrile, in the presence of ammonia, is treated with hydrogenation hydrogen until all the nitrile groups are hydrogenated to predominantly primary amino groups. After the ammonia content in the reaction mixture obtained from the first step has been adjusted to a value of at most 0.1 mol of ammonia per mole of fatty acid nitrile used, a second reaction step is used to hydrogenate the double bonds present to saturated bonds. The desired primary and saturated fatty amine is obtained in a very high yield and has an iodine number of at most 5.

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Garching, Germany

Anton Fruth