Bayer Aktiengesellschaft

Klaus Reinartz

Harro Schlesmann

Fred Schuhmacher

Adolf Brill

Stefan Dietl

4-Aminodiphenylamines are produced by reacting optionally substituted aniline with optionally substituted nitrobenzene in the presence of water and/or alcohols and organic and/or inorganic bases and then catalytically hydrogenating the resultant nitro- and/or nitrosodiphenylamine in the presence of water, wherein the catalytic hydrogenation of the reaction mixture is performed in the presence of 25 to 80 wt. % of water, relative to the weight of the reaction mixture from the condensation reaction, the hydrogenation catalyst is removed from the hydrogenation mixture once absorption of hydrogen has ceased, 10 to 100 vol. % of aromatic solvent, relative to the total volume of the hydrogenation mixture, are optionally added to the hydrogenation mixture, the resultant organic phase is separated in order to isolate the 4-aminodiphenylamine and the aqueous phase is returned to the initial reaction mixture.

Process for the production of optionally substituted

Crude 2-mercaptobenzothiazole is purified by a process in which the crude 2-mercaptobenzothiazole is dissolved in relatively high-boiling aliphatic or cycloaliphatic alcohols or in mixtures of the alcohols mentioned or azeotropes thereof with water at temperatures of 60.degree. to 200.degree. C., optionally under elevated pressure, or is suspended in relatively high-boiling aliphatic or cycloaliphatic alcohols, aliphatic or cycloaliphatic ethers, organic acids or esters thereof at temperatures of 10.degree. to 100.degree. C., the solution or suspension is subsequently cooled and the product precipitating is filtered off and optionally washed.

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Cologne, Germany

Klaus Reinartz