Abstract: An electrode unit for an electrochemical device, comprising (i) a solid electrolyte which divides a space for molten cathode material, selected from the group consisting of elemental sulfur and polysulfide of the alkali metal anode material, and a space for molten alkali metal anode material, and (ii) a porous solid state electrode directly adjacent to the solid electrolyte within the space for the cathode material, with a non-electron-conducting intermediate layer S present between the solid state electrode and the solid electrolyte, wherein this intermediate layer S has a thickness in the range from 0.

Abstract: An electrode unit for an electrochemical device, comprising (i) a solid electrolyte which divides a space for molten cathode material, selected from the group consisting of elemental sulfur and polysulfide of the alkali metal anode material, and a space for molten alkali metal anode material, and (ii) a porous solid state electrode directly adjacent to the solid electrolyte within the space for the cathode material, with a non-electron-conducting intermediate layer S present between the solid state electrode and the solid electrolyte, wherein this intermediate layer S has a thickness in the range from 0.

Abstract: A process for preparing dicarboxylic acids by oxidizing cycloaliphatic alcohols, cycloaliphatic ketones or mixtures thereof with nitric acid, by performing the reaction and separation of the components in a fractionating column or rectification column.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for preparing hydrocyanic acid (HCN) by catalytic dehydration of gaseous formamide in a reactor which has an internal reactor surface made of a steel comprising iron and chromium and nickel, and also to a reactor for preparing hydrocyanic acid by catalytic dehydration of gaseous formamide, which reactor has an internal reactor surface made of a steel comprising iron and chromium and nickel, and also to the use of the reactor of the present invention in a process for preparing hydrocyanic acid by catalytic dehydration of gaseous formamide.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for removing, by distillation, 6-aminocapronitrile from mixtures that contain 6-aminocapronitrile, adipodinitrile and hexamethylenediamine, by a) removing the hexamethylenediamine from the mixture while obtaining a mixture (I) that has a hexamethylenediamine content of less than 1 wt. -%, b) removing completely or partially the 6-aminocapronitrile from mixture (I) while obtaining a mixture (II) whose content in substances that have a higher boiling point as 6-aminocapronitrile under distillation conditions and that cannot be formed by dimerization reactions when 6-aminocapronitrile is thermally treated is less than 1 wt. -%, and c) completely or partially removing from mixture (II) the hexamethylenediamine that might be present while obtaining a mixture (IV) whose hexamethylenediamine content is higher than that of mixture (II), and a mixture (V) whose hexamethylenediamine content is lower than that of mixture (II).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for removing, by distillation, 6-aminocapronitrile from mixtures that contain 6-aminocapronitrile, adipodinitrile and hexamethylenediamine, by a) removing the hexamethylenediamine from the mixture while obtaining a mixture (I) that has a hexamethylenediamine content of less than 1 wt.-%, b) removing completely or partially the 6-aminocapronitrile from mixture (I) while obtaining a mixture (II) whose content in substances that have a higher boiling point as 6-aminocapronitrile under distillation conditions and that cannot be formed by dimerization reactions when 6-aminocapronitrile is thermally treated is less than 1 wt.-%, and c) completely or partially removing from mixture (II) the hexamethylenediamine that might be present while obtaining a mixture (IV) whose hexamethylenediamine content is higher than that of mixture (II), and a mixture (V) whose hexamethylenediamine content is lower than that of mixture (II).

Abstract: A process for the coproduction of 6-aminocapronitrile and hexamethylenediamine starting from adiponitrile by a) hydrogenating adiponitrile in the presence of a catalyst comprising an element of the eighth transition group as catalytically active component, to obtain a mixture comprising 6-aminocapronitrile, hexamethylenediamine, adiponitrile and high boilers, b) distillatively removing hexamethylenediamine from the mixture comprising 6-aminocapronitrile, hexamethylenediamine, adiponitrile and high boilers, and either cl) distillatively removing 6-aminocapronitrile, and then d1) distillatively removing adiponitrile, or c2) simultaneously distillatively removing 6-aminocapronitrile and adiponitrile into separate fractions is characterized by base of column temperatures below 185° C. in steps d1) or c2).

Abstract: A process for the coproduction of 6-aminocapronitrile and hexamethylenediamine starting from adiponitrile by a) hydrogenating adiponitrile in the presence of a catalyst comprising an element of the eighth transition group as catalytically active component, to obtain a mixture comprising 6-aminocapronitrile, hexamethylenediamine, adiponitrile and high boilers, b) distillatively removing hexamethylenediamine from the mixture comprising 6-aminocapronitrile, hexamethylenediamine, adiponitrile and high boilers, and either c1) distillatively removing 6-aminocapronitrile, and then d1) distillatively removing adiponitrile, or c2) simultaneously distillatively removing 6-aminocapronitrile and adiponitrile into separate fractions is characterized by base of column temperatures below 185° C. in steps d1) or c2).

Abstract: Caprolactam and hexamethylenediamine are prepared simultaneously starting from adiponitrile.

Abstract: A hydrogenation catalyst is prepared by reduction of platinum in an oxidation state of not less than two using a reducing agent in an aqueous medium in the presence of a carbon-containing support after partial poisoning, where use is made of a compound of the general formula I ##STR1## where X, Y and Z can be identical or different and are hydrogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.18 -alkyl, C.sub.5 -C.sub.10 -cycloalkyl, halogen, hydroxyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 -alkoxy and --NR'R", where R, R' and R" can be identical or different and can be hydrogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.18 -alkyl or C.sub.5 -C.sub.10 -cycloalkyl. Such a hydrogenation catalyst can be used for preparing hydroxylammonium salts and the process for preparing the above catalysts can also be used for regenerating hydrogenation catalysts based on platinum.

Abstract: 5-Formylvaleric esters are prepared in a yield of not less than 90% by distillation of a formylvaleric ester mixture of 5-formylvaleric ester and either 3- or 4-formylvaleric ester or a mixture of 3- and 4-formylvaleric esters, where the ester radicals of the respective formylvaleric esters are identical, wherein the 3- or 4-formylvaleric ester or a mixture thereof is separated from the 5-formylvaleric ester in a distillation column at a pressure in the range from 2 to 100 mbar and a temperature of not above 150.degree. C. (measured as the temperature at the bottom of the column) and the esters used are the corresponding methyl or ethyl esters, where the purity of the 5-formylvaleric ester is not less than 98% and, as impurity, 4-formylvaleric ester is present in an amount of not more than 100 ppm.

Abstract: Caprolactam and hexamethylenediamine are prepared simultaneously starting from adiponitrile by a process in which(a) adiponitrile is partially hydrogenated to give a mixture containing essentially 6-aminocapronitrile, hexamethylenediamine, ammonia, adiponitrile and hexamethyleneimine,(b) the mixture obtained in (a) is subjected to a distillation to give ammonia as the top product and a bottom product I,(c) the bottom product I containing essentially 6-aminocapronitrile, hexamethylenediamine, adiponitrile, hexamethyleneimine, inert compound A and ammonia, the ammonia content being lower than that of the mixture used in stage (b), is subjected to a second distillation to give a mixture comprising the inert compound A and ammonia as the top product and a bottom product II,(d) the bottom product II is subjected, in a third column, to a distillation to give the inert compound A as the top product and a bottom product III,(e) the bottom product III is subjected, in a fourth column, to a distillation to give a top p

Abstract: A process for preparing caprolactam by cyclization of 6-aminocapronitrile in the presence of water at elevated temperature and in the presence or absence of a catalyst and a solvent, comprisesa) removing from the cyclization reaction effluent ("reaction effluent I") caprolactam and all components boiling higher than caprolactam ("high boilers"),b) treating the high boilers of stage a) with phosphoric acid and/or polyphosphoric acid at from 200 to 350.degree. C. to obtain a reaction effluent II, andc) removing caprolactam formed and any 6-aminocapronitrile from reaction effluent II of stage b) to obtain separation from unconverted high boilers and acid used.

Abstract: Caprolactam is prepared by reacting a solution of 6-aminocapronitrile with water in the liquid phase at elevated temperatures by a process in which(a) an aqueous solution of 6-aminocapronitrile in the liquid phase is heated without the addition of a catalyst in a reactor A to give a mixture I consisting essentially of water, caprolactam and a high-boiling fraction (high boiler), then(b) the water is removed from the resulting mixture I to give a mixture II consisting essentially of caprolactam and the high boilers, then(c) the caprolactam and the high boilers from mixture II are separated from one another by distillation, and then either(d1) the high boilers from stage (c) are fed into the reactor A of stage (a) or(d2) the high boilers are heated similarly to stage (a) in a further reactor B and then worked up similarly to stages (b) and (c) to give further caprolactam, or(d3) the high boilers are heated under reduced pressure in the presence of a base in a reactor C and the reacted mixture is worked up by di