Abstract: A reactor for producing a nitrile compound from a carbon ring or heterocyclic compound having organic substituents by a gas phase reaction using a fluidized catalyst bed with ammonia and a gas containing oxygen. In a cylindrical fluidized catalyst bed having a diameter of 2.0 meters or greater, partial vaporization-type cooling tubes (the cooling medium is partially vaporized in the tubes) and complete vaporization-type cooling tubes (the cooling medium is completely vaporized in the cooling tubes) are disposed in a specific arrangement. Water containing ionic SiO2 in 0.1 ppm or smaller and having an electric conductivity of 5 ?S/cm or smaller is used as the cooling medium for the complete vaporization-type cooling tubes. The temperature of the reaction is easily stabilized and uniform distribution of temperature is obtained in the fluidized catalyst bed. Stable continuous operation is achieved for a long time in a commercial scale apparatus.

Abstract: A reactor for producing a nitrile compound from a carbon ring or heterocyclic compound having organic substituents by a gas phase reaction using a fluidized catalyst bed with ammonia and a gas containing oxygen. In a cylindrical fluidized catalyst bed having a diameter of 2.0 meters or greater, partial vaporization-type cooling tubes (the cooling medium is partially vaporized in the tubes) and complete vaporization-type cooling tubes (the cooling medium is completely vaporized in the cooling tubes) are disposed in a specific arrangement. Water containing ionic SiO2 in 0.1 ppm or smaller and having an electric conductivity of 5 ?S/cm or smaller is used as the cooling medium for the complete vaporization-type cooling tubes. The temperature of the reaction is easily stabilized and uniform distribution of temperature is obtained in the fluidized catalyst bed. Stable continuous operation is achieved for a long time in a commercial scale apparatus.

Abstract: A reactor for producing a nitrile compound from a carbon ring or heterocyclic compound having organic substituents by a gas phase reaction using a fluidized catalyst bed with ammonia and a gas containing oxygen. In a cylindrical fluidized catalyst bed having a diameter of 2.0 meters or greater, partial vaporization-type cooling tubes (the cooling medium is partially vaporized in the tubes) and complete vaporization-type cooling tubes (the cooling medium is completely vaporized in the cooling tubes) are disposed in a specific arrangement. Water containing ionic SiO2 in 0.1 ppm or smaller and having an electric conductivity of 5 &mgr;S/cm or smaller is used as the cooling medium for the complete vaporization-type cooling tubes. The temperature of the reaction is easily stabilized and uniform distribution of temperature is obtained in the fluidized catalyst bed. Stable continuous operation is achieved for a long time in a commercial scale apparatus.

Abstract: In a method for separating isophthalonitrile from a gas produced by causing m-xylene to react with ammonia and oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a catalyst, the gas is brought into contact with an organic solvent having a boiling point lower than that of isophthalonitrile; a liquid in which isophthalonitrile is trapped in a trapping step is distilled, to thereby recover isophthalonitrile and the organic solvent from the top of the column and separate at the bottom of the column impurities having boiling points higher than that of isophthalonitrile; and the organic solvent is recovered from the top of the rectification column and liquefied isophthalonitrile of high purity is recovered at the bottom of the column.

Abstract: A method for producing xylylenediamine by hydrogenating phthalonitrile synthesized through ammoxidation of xylene, wherein phthalonitrile is trapped in an organic solvent (A) by bringing a gas produced through ammoxidation into direct contact with the organic solvent (A), and hydrogenation including adding liquid ammonia to the resultant mixture is carried out without separation of phthalonitrile trapped in the organic solvent (A). Through this method, the phthalonitrile can be readily recovered from the produced gas and at high yield without need for new equipment, and xylylenediamine can be efficiently produced through hydrogenation. Xylylenediamine of high purity can be obtained by subjecting the produced xylylenediamine to extraction by use of an organic solvent (B) and water.

Abstract: A method for producing xylylenediamine by hydrogenating phthalonitrile synthesized through ammoxidation of xylene, wherein phthalonitrile is trapped in an organic solvent (A) by bringing a gas produced through ammoxidation into direct contact with the organic solvent (A), and hydrogenation including adding liquid ammonia to the resultant mixture is carried out without separation of phthalonitrile trapped in the organic solvent (A). Through this method, the phthalonitrile can be readily recovered from the produced gas and at high yield without need for new equipment, and xylylenediamine can be efficiently produced through hydrogenation. Xylylenediamine of high purity can be obtained by subjecting the produced xylylenediamine to extraction by use of an organic solvent (B) and water.

Abstract: In a method for separating isophthalonitrile from a gas produced by causing m-xylene to react with ammonia and oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a catalyst, the gas is brought into contact with an organic solvent having a boiling point lower than that of isophthalonitrile; a liquid in which isophthalonitrile is trapped in a trapping step is distilled, to thereby recover isophthalonitrile and the organic solvent from the top of the column and separate at the bottom of the column impurities having boiling points higher than that of isophthalonitrile; and the organic solvent is recovered from the top of the rectification column and liquefied isophthalonitrile of high purity is recovered at the bottom of the column.

Abstract: There is disclosed a process for producing a nitrile compounds by ammoxidation of a carbocyclic or heterocyclic compound having organic substituent(s) by reacting the compound with ammonia and an oxygen-containing gas, wherein unreacted ammonia is recovered from the reaction product gas and recycled to the reaction system.

Abstract: There is disclosed a process for producing a nitrile compounds by ammoxidation of a carbocyclic or heterocyclic compound having organic substituent(s) by reacting the compound with ammonia and an oxygen-containing gas, wherein unreacted ammonia is recovered from the reaction product gas and recycled to the reaction system. In the first process of the present invention, the ammoxidation is conducted by vapor-phase catalytic reaction in the presence of a fluid catalyst containing at least one metal oxide selected from the group consisting of vanadium oxide, molybdenum oxide and iron oxide while controlling a water concentration of a gas fed to a reactor to 12% by volume or lower by adjusting a water content of the recovered ammonia by distillation, thereby avoiding deterioration in activity of the catalyst due to recycle of the recovered ammonia. As a result, it is possible to stably obtain the aimed product at a high yield for a long period of time.

Abstract: An industrially meritorious process for preparing aromatic polyhydric alcohol is disclosed. The process can give an extremely high conversion rate of raw material, i.e., aromatic carboxylic acid ester, and an extremely high selectivity to the objective compound. The process comprises catalytic hydrocracking of an aromatic carboxylic acid ester in which an improvement resides in the fact that an ester represented by the general formula Ar(COOR).sub.m, (CH.sub.2 OH).sub.n, (wherein Ar means an aromatic group, R is independently selected from normal and branched alkyl groups having at least 6 carbon atoms, m' means an integer of at least 1, n' means zero or a positive integer and m'+n' satisifies the relationship m'+n'.gtoreq.2) is used as raw material. An aromatic polyhydric alcohol is a very useful material, especially as a raw material for the preparation of polymeric substances having high heat resistance.