Abstract: Processes for preparing an amine, which processes comprise: reacting a reactant selected from the group consisting of primary alcohols, secondary alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and mixtures thereof, with hydrogen and a nitrogen compound selected from the group consisting of ammonia, primary amines, secondary amines and mixtures thereof, in the presence of a zirconium dioxide- and nickel-containing catalyst; wherein the catalyst comprises a catalytically active composition which comprises, before reduction with hydrogen, oxygen compounds of zirconium, nickel, and iron, and 0.2 to 5.5% by weight of at least one oxygen compound of tin, lead, bismuth, molybdenum, antimony or phosphorus, calculated as SnO, PbO, Bi2O3, MoO3, Sb2O3 and H3PO4 respectively; and wherein the catalytically active composition of the catalyst does not comprise any copper.

Abstract: Processes for preparing an amine, the processes comprising: reacting a reactant selected from the group consisting of primary alcohols, secondary alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and mixtures thereof, with hydrogen and a nitrogen compound selected from the group consisting of ammonia, primary amines, secondary amines and mixtures thereof, in the presence of a zirconium dioxide-, copper- and nickel-containing catalyst; wherein the catalyst comprises a catalytically active composition which comprises, before reduction with hydrogen, oxygen compounds of zirconium, copper, and nickel, and 1.0 to 5.0% by weight of an oxygen compound of cobalt, calculated as CoO, and 0.2 to 5.0% by weight of a polyoxometalate.

Abstract: Processes comprising: providing an aromatic alcohol; and reacting the aromatic alcohol with ammonia at a temperature of 80 to 350° C. in the presence of hydrogen and a heterogeneous catalyst to form a crude reaction product comprising a corresponding primary aromatic amine, wherein the heterogeneous catalyst comprises a catalytically active composition which, prior to reduction with hydrogen, comprises 90 to 99.8% by weight of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), 0.1 to 5.0% by weight of an oxygen-comprising compound of palladium, and 0.1 to 5.0% by weight of an oxygen-comprising compound of platinum.

Abstract: Shaped body comprising an aluminosilicate and aluminum oxide, wherein the shaped body has a molar Al/Si ratio in the range from 10 to 30 and an at least bimodal pore distribution for pores having a diameter of greater than 1 nm, with the volume of the pores of the shaped body having a diameter of greater than 10 nm corresponding to at least 40% of the total pore volume of the shaped body, process for producing it and process for the continuous preparation of methylamines by reaction of methanol and/or dimethyl ether with ammonia in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst, wherein the abovementioned shaped bodies are used as catalyst.

Abstract: Processes for the continuous fractional distillation of a mixture comprising morpholine (MO), monoaminodiglycol (ADG), ammonia and water from a reaction of diethylene glycol (DEG) with ammonia, the process comprising: (i) separating off ammonia from the mixture at a top of a first distillation column K10; (ii) feeding a bottom fraction from K10 to a second distillation column K20 in which water and organic products are separated off at the top at a temperature at the top in the range from 45 to 198° C. and a pressure in the range from 0.

Abstract: Processes for the continuous fractional distillation of a mixture comprising morpholine (MO), monoaminodiglycol (ADG), ammonia and water from a reaction of diethylene glycol (DEG) with ammonia, the processes comprising: (i) separating off ammonia from the mixture at a top of a first distillation column K10; (ii) feeding a bottom fraction from K10 to a second distillation column K20 in which water and organic products are separated off at the top at a temperature at the top in the range from 45 to 198° C. and a pressure in the range from 0.1 to 15 bar; (iii) feeding a bottom fraction from K20 to a third distillation column K30 in which MO and organic products having a boiling point of <140° C. (1.013 bar) are separated off at the top or at a side offtake and ADG and organic products having a boiling point of >190° C. (1.

Abstract: Method of producing triethanolamine where a phosphane or a compound which liberates a phosphane is added to the triethanolamine.

Abstract: Methods for improving color properties of triethanolamine, and triethanolamine compositions treated thereby, are disclosed, wherein the methods comprise: (a) providing a composition comprising triethanolamine; and (b) contacting the composition with an acid component and a basic component; wherein the acid component comprises an acid selected from the group consisting of phosphorous acid, hypophosphorous acid and mixtures thereof; and wherein the basic component comprises a compound selected from the group consisting of alkali metal hydroxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides, ammonium hydroxides according to general formula (I), and mixtures thereof: [R1R2R3(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium] hydroxide??(I) wherein R1, R2 and R3 each independently represents a C1-30 alkyl or a C2-10 hydroxyalkyl; with the proviso that where the basic component comprises an alkali metal hydroxide, the molar ratio of acid component: basic component is 1:0.

Abstract: Methods for improving color properties of triethanolamine, and triethanolamine compositions treated thereby, are disclosed, wherein the methods comprise: (a) providing a composition comprising triethanolamine; and (b) contacting the composition with an acid component and a basic component; wherein the acid component comprises an acid selected from the group consisting of phosphorous acid, hypophosphorous acid and mixtures thereof; and wherein the basic component comprises a compound selected from the group consisting of alkali metal hydroxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides, ammonium hydroxides according to general formula (I), and mixtures thereof: [R1R2R3(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium]hydroxide??(I) wherein R1, R2 and R3 each independently represents a C1-30 alkyl or a C2-10 hydroxyalkyl; with the proviso that where the basic component comprises an alkali metal hydroxide, the molar ratio of acid component:basic component is 1:0.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparing methylamines by gas-phase reaction of methanol and ammonia as starting materials at a pressure in the range from 15 to 30 bar in the presence of heterogeneous catalyst. The starting materials are vaporized in one or more heat exchangers (1, 2, 3), superheated to produce a feed gas stream and subsequently fed into a reactor (4), with the mixing of the starting materials being able to be carried out in the feed stream to one of the heat exchangers (1, 2, 3) or at any desired position in a heat exchanger (1, 2, 3). A product gas stream comprising monomethylamine, dimethylamine and trimethylamine and also reaction by-products is taken off from the reactor (4). To control the reactor inlet temperature of the starting materials to a temperature in the range from 360° C. to 370° C., all or some of the feed gas stream or the product gas stream is passed through an adjustable valve (5) in order to vary the pressure and thus the condensation temperature.

Abstract: A process for continuously preparing a primary aromatic amine by reacting a corresponding cycloaliphatic alcohol with ammonia in the presence of hydrogen at a temperature in the range from 80 to 350° C. in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst, wherein the catalytically active composition of the catalyst, before its reduction with hydrogen, comprises from 90 to 99.8% by weight of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), from 0.1 to 5.0% by weight of oxygen compounds of palladium and from 0.1 to 5.0% by weight of oxygen compounds of platinum.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for recovering 3-aminomethyl-3,5,5-trim-ethylcyclohexylamine (isophoronediamine, IPDA) having a fractionally distilled cis/trans isomer ratio of at least 73/27. The process includes the following steps: a) providing IPDA in a cis/trans isomer ratio of <73/27; b) feeding IPDA into the middle region of a distillation column having internals and distilling the IPDA in this distillation column at a temperature of from 5 to 300.degree. C.

Abstract: Shaped body comprising an aluminosilicate and aluminum oxide, wherein the shaped body has a molar Al/Si ratio in the range from 10 to 30 and an at least bimodal pore distribution for pores having a diameter of greater than 1 nm, with the volume of the pores of the shaped body having a diameter of greater than 10 nm corresponding to at least 40% of the total pore volume of the shaped body, process for producing it and process for the continuous preparation of methylamines by reaction of methanol and/or dimethyl ether with ammonia in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst, wherein the abovementioned shaped bodies are used as catalyst.

Abstract: Processes comprising: providing an aromatic alcohol; and reacting the aromatic alcohol with ammonia at a temperature of 80 to 350° C. in the presence of hydrogen and a heterogeneous catalyst to form a crude reaction product comprising a corresponding primary aromatic amine, wherein the heterogeneous catalyst comprises a catalytically active composition which, prior to reduction with hydrogen, comprises 90 to 99.8% by weight of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), 0.1 to 5.0% by weight of an oxygen-comprising compound of palladium, and 0.1 to 5.0% by weight of an oxygen-comprising compound of platinum.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of avoiding corrosion in the separation of methylamine from a product stream (10) which is obtained in the preparation of methylamines by gas-phase reaction of methanol and ammonia and includes monomethylamine, dimethylamine, trimethylamine, ammonia and methanol as components, where ammonia is separated off by pure distillation in a first column (1), the remaining components of the product stream obtained as bottoms (12) are fed to a second column (2). Trimethylamine (14) is separated off in the second column (2) by extractive distillation with introduction of water. The further of the product stream obtained as bottoms (15) from the second column (2) are fed to a third column (3), in which monomethylamine and dimethylamine are separated off at the top. The monomethylamine and dimethylamine are separated by distillation in a fourth column (4). To avoid corrosion alkali metal hydroxide is added to the second or third column (3).

Abstract: Method of producing triethanolamine where a phosphane or a compound which liberates a phosphane is added to the triethanolamine.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparing methylamines by gas-phase reaction of methanol and ammonia as starting materials at a pressure in the range from 15 to 30 bar in the presence of heterogeneous catalyst. The starting materials are vaporized in one or more heat exchangers (1, 2, 3), superheated to produce a feed gas stream and subsequently fed into a reactor (4), with the mixing of the starting materials being able to be carried out in the feed stream to one of the heat exchangers (1, 2, 3) or at any desired position in a heat exchanger (1, 2, 3). A product gas stream comprising monomethylamine, dimethylamine and trimethylamine and also reaction by-products is taken off from the reactor (4). To control the reactor inlet temperature of the starting materials to a temperature in the range from 360° C. to 370° C., all or some of the feed gas stream or the product gas stream is passed through an adjustable valve (5) in order to vary the pressure and thus the condensation temperature.

Abstract: The invention relates to processes for preparing 3-aminomethyl-3,5,5-trimethylcyclo-hexylamine (isophoronediamine, IPDA) having a high cis/trans isomer ratio. IPDA having a cis/trans isomer ratio in the range from 63/37 to 66/34 can be obtained in any desired cis/trans isomer ratio, irrespective of temperature, by reacting IPDA with H2 and NH3 in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst. IPDA having a cis/trans isomer ratio of at least 73/27 which is an important starting material for the synthesis of polyurethanes and polyamides can be obtained by combining this isomerization process with distillative processes.

Abstract: Process for the continuous preparation of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) by reacting gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) with monomethylamine (MMA) in the liquid phase, wherein GBL and MMA are used in a molar ratio of from 1:1.08 to 1:2 and the reaction is carried out at from 320 to 380° C. and an absolute pressure of from 70 to 120 bar.

Abstract: A process for continuously preparing 2-pyrrolidone by reacting gamma-butyrolactone with ammonia in the liquid phase in the presence of water, wherein the reaction is carried out at a temperature of from 275 to 300° C. and an absolute pressure of from 140 to 180 bar.