Basf Se Corporation

Viktor Ladnak

Kai Thiele

Silvia Tauro

Torsten Mattke

Andreas Weickgenannt

Kerstin Heinen

Alexander Duefert

Klaus-Peter Metzner

A process for preparing an aromatic polyamine mixture including 4,4'-methylenedi(phenylamine) and higher homologues of MDA is provided. The process includes steps of (i) reaction of aniline with formaldehyde by means of an acid catalyst to form a crude product mixture (I), (ii) neutralization of the crude product mixture (I) and removal of the salts formed; (iii) isolation of aniline; (iv) distillation of the resulting crude product mixture so as to separate off (iv-1) a mixture (II) of MDA isomers (II-1) containing from 8 to 20% by weight of 4,4&#x2032;-methylenedi(phenylamine) and not more than 0.3% by weight of secondary components (II-2) and (iv-2) a low boiler mixture of at least 55% by weight of secondary components (II-2) and MDA isomers (II-1); and (v) recirculation of the mixture (II).

Process for preparing an aromatic polyamine mixture

The present invention relates to a process for hydrogenating a mixture (G1) in the presence of a catalyst, where the mixture (G1) comprises at least one colorless amine and at least one color-imparting component. As a result of the hydrogenation step, the at least one color-imparting component is firstly partially, preferably fully, hydrogenated, while the colorless amine, in particular aniline, is not hydrogenated or hydrogenated to only a very small extent. The color-imparting components which cause the discoloration of the amine which is itself in principle colorless are thus removed by hydrogenation, as a result of which purification of the colorless amine or the mixture (G1) is achieved.

Process for hydrogenating a mixture in the presence of a colorless amine

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Ludwigshafen, Germany

Viktor Ladnak