Abstract: Caprolactam is recovered from oligomers and/or polymers of caprolactam by cleavage of oligomers and/or polymers of caprolactam and subsequent working up by distillation of the caprolactam obtained in the cleavage, by a process including(a) cleaving oligomers and/or polymers of caprolactam to obtain an aqueous reaction mixture which contains caprolactam,(b) removing water from the reaction mixture obtained under (a) to obtain a residue,(c) distilling the residue obtained under (b) in an acidic medium and(d) then distilling the distillate in an alkaline medium to obtain caprolactam, or(c') distilling the residue obtained under (b) in an alkaline medium and(d') then distilling the distillate in an acidic medium to obtain caprolactam.

Abstract: A hydrogenation catalyst, obtainable by carrying out essentially the following steps:(a) treatment of a platinum metal salt with finely divided sulfur followed by(b) reduction of the platinum metal salt to metallic platinum metal.

Abstract: Caprolactam is purified by oxidative treatment in which mixtures which essentially contain the caprolactam to be purified and unsaturated lactams are treated with oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas mixture in an alkaline medium.

Abstract: A process of use of hydrogenation catalyst, obtainable by carrying out essentially the following steps:(a) treatment of a platinum metal salt with finely divided sulfur followed by(b) reduction of the platinum metal salt to metallic platinum metal.

Abstract: Caprolactam is obtained from caprolactam-containing polymers in the presence of a base under reduced pressure by depolymerizing polymers which contain the repeating unit --[--N(H)--(CH.sub.2).sub.5 --C(O)--] or mixtures consisting essentially offrom 50 to 99.99% by weight of a polymer containing the repeating unit --[--N(H)--(CH.sub.2).sub.5 --C(O)--]--from 0.01 to 50% by weight of additives selected from the group consisting of inorganic fillers, organic and inorganic pigments and dyes,from 0 to 10% by weight of organic and/or inorganic additives,from 0 to 40% by weight of non-polyamide-containing polymers andfrom 0 to 20% by weight of polyamides, with the exception of polycaprolactam and copolyamides prepared from caprolactam,in at least two depolymerization reactors connected in series.

Abstract: A hydrogenation catalyst, obtainable by carrying out essentially the following steps:(a) treatment of a platinum metal salt with finely divided sulfur followed by(b) reduction of the platinum metal salt to metallic platinum metal.

Abstract: A process for the purification of caprolactam from crude caprolactam by distilling the crude caprolactam in the presence of an anorganic or organic acid.

Abstract: Recovery of caprolactam and of an alkali metal carbonate from distillation residues which are obtained in the purification of caprolactam and contain caprolactam and/or oligomers and/or polymers of caprolactam and also alkali metal hydroxides by(a) melting the distillation residues, the caprolactam and/or oligomers and/or polymers of caprolactam and alkali metal hydroxides,(b) continuously removing caprolactam from the melt,(c) after removing caprolactam, cooling the melt and obtaining a residue,(d) dissolving the residue thus obtained in water and(e) subjecting the aqueous solution thus obtained to combustion with the formation of an alkali metal carbonateis described.

Abstract: A process for recovering caprolactam from oligomers and/or polymers of caprolactam comprises the following steps:a) treating oligomers and/or polymers of caprolactam with from 1 to 20 parts by weight of water per part by weight of oligomer or polymer at from 200.degree. to 350.degree. C. under superatmospheric pressure with a residence time of from 0.5 to 10 hours to form an aqueous reaction mixture comprising polycaprolactam, monomeric caprolactam and oligomers thereof, andb) passing the aqueous reaction mixture obtained in a) into a fluidized bed of alumina at from 250.degree. to 400.degree. C. to obtain a mixture of steam and caprolactam.

Abstract: Caprolactam is recovered from polycaprolactam by hydrolyric cleavage of polycaprolactam with from 5 to 50 parts by weight of water per part by weight of polycaprolactam at from 200.degree. to 350.degree. C. under superatmospheric pressure to give an aqueous solution or suspension which contains monomeric caprolactam and oligomers thereof and may contain polycaprolactam and subsequent isolation of monomeric caprolactam from the aqueous solution or suspension by distillation or extraction, by a process in which the hydrolyric cleavage is carried out in the presence of an alkali metal hydroxide at a pH of from 5 to 10.

Abstract: Caprolactam is purified by oxidative treatment in which mixtures which essentially contain the caprolactam to be purified and unsaturated lactams are treated with oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas mixture in an alkaline medium.

Abstract: A process for preparing caprolactam by Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime with oleum at from 85.degree. to 125.degree. C. in a plurality of rearrangement stages arranged in series entails returning a portion of the reaction mixture leaving the last rearrangement stage to at least one of the preceding rearrangement stages.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of hydroxylammonium salts by the reduction of nitrogen oxide (NO) with hydrogen in dilute aqueous mineral acid in the presence of a suspended platinum catalyst which is partially poisoned with arsenic, at elevated temperature, wherein the catalyst used is one which has been produced by precipitation of metallic platinum from an aqueous solution on to a suspended support in the presence of an oxidic arsenic compound, by means of a reducing agent.

Abstract: A platinum-on-graphite catalyst having a platinum content of from 0.01 to 5% w/w, wherein the graphite support has an apparent density of from 1.7 to 2.2 g/ml and the use thereof as a hydrogenation catalyst.

Abstract: A method of regenerating noble metal catalysyts used for the catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxide with hydrogen, wherein the noble metal catalyst is treated with an aqueous alkaline solution having a pH of more than 9.

Abstract: A process for working up aqueous mother liquors containing hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and their hydroxylammonium and ammonium salts, entails the mother liquors being intimately mixed with an excess of cyclohexanone based on the content of hydroxylammonium salts, while maintaining a pH of from 3 to 5.5 by adding alkali metal hydroxide solutions, and the cyclohexanone phase which contains cyclohexanone oxime being removed and washed with water until essentially free of chloride.

Abstract: A platinum-on-graphite catalyst having a platinum content of from 0.01 to 5% w/w, wherein the graphite support has a particle size of from 1 to 600 .mu.m and the following particle size distribution:______________________________________ 183 to 600 .mu.m 15% v/v .+-. 15% absolute 68.3 to 183 .mu.m 30% v/v .+-. 20% 31.0 to 68.3 .mu.m 25% v/v .+-. 20% 17.1 to 31.0 .mu.m 15% v/v .+-. 10% 5.2 to 17.1 .mu.m 12% v/v .+-. 10% .sup. <5.2 .mu.m 5% v/v .+-. 5%.

Abstract: Caprolactam is purified continuously by passing a 75-95% strength by weight aqueous caprolactam solution together with hydrogen at 50.degree.-95.degree. C. and 1.5-100 bar upward through a fixed-bed supported palladium or nickel catalyst in a tubular zone while maintaining a residence time of from 10 to 100 min.

Abstract: Crystalline hydroxylammonium sulfate is prepared by a process which comprises the following steps:(a) Bringing an aqueous solution which contains from 0.02 to 0.3 part by weight of ammonium sulfate and from 0.02 to 0.2 part by weight of sulfuric acid per part by weight of hydroxylammonium sulfate into contact with a basic ion exchanger and obtaining a solution which has a pH of from 3.0 to 4.0,(b) separating off the basic ion exchanger from the aqueous hydroxylammonium sulfate solution,(c) evaporating down the resulting aqueous hydroxylammonium sulfate solution under reduced pressure at <100.degree. C. and obtaining a concentrated hydroxylammonium sulfate solution,(d) crystallizing out not more than 70% by weight of the hydroxylammonium sulfate present in the aqueous solution to give crystalline hydroxylammonium sulfate and a mother liquor, and(e) isolating and crystalline hydroxylammonium sulfate from the mother liquor.

Abstract: The storability of molten cyclohexanone oxime containing 0.5-15% by weight of cyclohexanone and 1-8% by weight of aqueous ammonium bisulfate solution is improved by washing the molten cyclohexanone oxime with a 10-42% strength by weight aqueous ammonium sulfate solution and maintaining a pH of 4.5-5.8.