Daicel Chemical Industries, Ltd.

Masato Kawabe

Akinobu Matsuyama

Kazuyuki Matsuoka

Toru Nagasawa

Kenichi Yamamoto

A nitrile compound having a complicated structure (e.g., 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutyronitrile) is converted into an amide compound with high production efficiency, by using a novel microorganism of which the gene 16S rRNA has a specific base sequence. As the microorganism, Rhodococcus sp. Cr4 strain and Rhodococcus sp. Am8 strain or the like is employed.

Rhodococcus microorganisms and process for producing amide compounds

A nitrile compound or an amide compound is hydrolyzed in the presence of an inorganic acid or other acidic catalyst or an alkali metal hydroxide or other basic catalyst, and the by-produced ammonium salt of the acidic catalyst or the produced salt of a carboxylic acid and a base is electrodialysed to form an acid and ammonia or aqueous ammonia, or to form a base and ammonia. The obtained acid or base may be recycled as a catalyst for the hydrolysis of the nitrile compound or amide compound, and the obtained ammonia is reutilized as a nitrogen source for the nitrile compound or amide compound. Such amide compound may be produced by hydration of a nitrite compound in the presence of a manganese oxide.

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Otake, Japan

Masato Kawabe