Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the hydrogenation of compounds comprising nitrile or nitro functional groups to amine, aminonitrile or aminonitro compounds. The invention provides a continuous process for the hydrogenation of compounds comprising nitrile or nitro functional groups to amine or aminonitrile compounds in the presence of a heterogeneous hydrogenation catalyst in divided form and of a basic compound. The reaction is employed in a stirred reactor comprising an external loop for circulating the reaction mixture, allowing one portion of the hydrogenated products to be separated without withdrawing the catalyst, by using tangential filtration. The process of the invention applies especially to the hydrogenation of adiponitrile to an aminocapronitrile/hexamethylenediamine mixture.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture and separation of dinitrile compounds. It relates more particularly to a process for the manufacture and separation of dinitrile compounds from a medium originating from the hydrocyanation of unsaturated mononitriles. The invention consists in feeding the medium comprising the dinitriles to a distillation column and then recovering the purified dinitriles as intermediate fraction, the heavy products being removed as column tail fraction and the light products, including the unsaturated mononitriles, being recovered as top fraction.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for evaporating aminonitrile and water in conditions limiting or eliminating the formation of heavy by-products in particular amino-carboxylic acid oligomers. To avoid said inconvenience, said method for evaporating aminonitrile and water is characterised in that the water in vapour state serves as balance gas for evaporation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the hemihydrogenation of dinitriles to corresponding aminonitriles.

Abstract: The invention relates to the hemihydrogenation of dinitriles to form corresponding aminonitriles. The invention more particularly relates to a method for the hemihydrogenation of dinitriles in the presence of water and selectifying agents enabling aminonitrile selectivity to be improved.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the hydrogenation of nitrile functional groups to amine functional groups. It relates more particularly to a process for the complete or partial hydrogenation of dinitrile compounds to diamine or aminonitrile compounds. The invention relates to a process for the hydrogenation of nitrile functional groups to amine functional groups using hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst and of a strong inorganic base preferably deriving from an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal. According to the invention, the process comprises a stage of conditioning the catalyst which consists in mixing the hydrogenation catalyst, a predetermined amount of strong inorganic base and a solvent in which the strong inorganic base is not very soluble. This solvent is an amine compound, such as hexamethylenediamine in the case of the hydrogenation of adiponitrile to HMD and/or aminocapronitrile.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the treatment of the reaction mixtures resulting from an oxidation reaction of cyclohexane to adipic acid and more particlarly to the separation of the various constituents of the said mixtures and to the purification of the adipic acid.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for purifying lactams, more particularly lactams obtained by cyclizing hydrolysis of aminonitrile. More particularly, the invention concerns the purification of &egr;-caprolactam obtained by cyclizing hydrolysis of aminocapronitrile which consists in eliminating the ammonia from the reaction medium of the hydrolysis then in recuperating the lactam from said medium in purified form. Said recuperation is carried out by performing at least a distillation of the lactam in the presence of a base producing optionally a fronts fraction comprising compounds more volatile than the lactam, a fraction comprising the lactam to be recuperated to the degree of desired purity and a distillation tails comprising the lactam and compounds less volatile than the lactam. The distillation tails are treated by various processes such as evaporation in thin layers to recuperate the major part of the comprised caprolactam and recycling the latter in the purification process.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the hydrogenation of nitrile functional groups to amine functional groups. It relates more particularly to a process for the complete or partial hydrogenation of dinitrile compounds to diamine or aminonitrile compounds.

Abstract: Lactam liquid media of reaction which comprise at least one lactam final product, notably &egr;-caprolactam, are treated and purified to convert impurities contained therein into harmless species or species easily removed downstream, by hydrogenating such liquid media of reaction in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst and during which hydrogenation the liquid media of reaction have effective lactam-purifying amounts of ammonia dissolved therein.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the purification of aliphatic aminonitriles and more particularly of 6-aminocapronitrile. It consists more specifically in subjecting 6-aminocapronitrile to a hydrogenation with molecular hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst comprising at least one metal chosen from palladium, platinum, ruthenium, osmium, iridium or rhodium and a promoter agent or a preconditioning in order to improve the selectivity of the hydrogenation.

Abstract: The invention discloses a method for purifying adipic acid by crystallization or recrystallization in at least one carbolyxic acid. More precisely, it discloses an improvement in adipic acid crystallization or recrystallization, characterised in that the said crystallization or recrystallization is effected in at least one carboxylic acid with a melting point below 20° C. The presence of carbon monoxide during crystallization or recrystallization can have a favourable effect on the adipic acid purity, in particular by reducing the content of metal catalyst traces of the adipic acid. The adipic acid purity can also be improved when the crystallization or recrystallization is effected in presence of a strong proton acid.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for regenerating a hydrogenation catalyst, and hydrogenation methods carried out with a catalyst comprising at least one regenerated catalyst. More particularly, it concerns a method for regenerating Raney catalysts used in total or partial hydrogenating processes of compounds comprising nitrile functions into amine functions. Said method consists in treating the spent catalyst with a basic solution and optionally in subjecting said catalyst to hydrogenation before stripping to eliminate the impurities present on the catalyst. Thus, the regenerating method enables to recuperate up to 100% of the catalytic activity.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of aminonitrile and of diamine by catalytic hydrogenation of dinitrile. It consists of a process for the preparation of aminonitrile and of diamine by catalytic hydrogenation of aliphatic dinitrile having from 3 to 12 carbon atoms, characterized in that the final reaction mixture, the catalyst of which has been separated beforehand, is acidified by addition of a sufficient amount of an inorganic or organic acid, before being subjected to an operation of distillation of the products of the reaction and of the unconverted dinitrile. It relates more particularly to the preparation of 6-aminocapronitrile and of hexamethylenediamine by hydrogenation of adiponitrile. The 6-aminocapronitrile can be hydrolysed in the liquid phase or in the gas phase to result in caprolactam. The hexamethylenediamine can be used very particularly to prepare polyamide-6,6 by reaction with adipic acid.

Abstract: Lactam liquid media of reaction which comprise at least one lactam final product, notably &egr;-caprolactam, are treated and purified to convert impurities contained therein into harmless species or species easily removed downstream, by hydrogenating such liquid media of reaction in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst and during which hydrogenation the liquid media of reaction have effective lactam-purifying amounts of ammonia dissolved therein.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the hydrogenation of aliphatic dinitriles at least partly into corresponding aminonitriles. More specifically, the invention consists of a continuous process for the hydrogenation of dinitrile, at least partly into corresponding aminonitrile, in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst which is not dissolved in the reaction medium, characterized in that it is carried out in apparatus comprising means for the continuous separation of the hydrogenate and of the catalyst in a zone in which the gas-liquid transfer is limited or zero, the said separation and the recycling of the catalyst being carried out in a period of time less than or equal to 30 minutes.

Abstract: The invention discloses a method for purifying adipic acid in water. More precisely it discloses an improvement in adipic acid crystallization or recrystallization in water, characterised in that the said crystallization or recrystallization is effected in presence of a strong proton acid and/or in the presence of carbon monoxide. This crystallization or recrystallization particularly enables the content of metal catalyst traces in the adipic acid to be reduced.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for isolating, by membrane electrodialysis, a catalyst from a solution containing it. More precisely, it relates to the isolation of a catalyst used in a homogeneous phase molecular oxidation reaction. The invention consists of a process for isolating a homogeneous catalyst dissolved in a mixture also containing at least one aliphatic diacid, characterized in that the catalyst contains cobalt and the isolation is performed by membrane electrodialysis.

Abstract: A method for purifying lactams by liquid-liquid extraction and/or processing with an ion exchange resin is disclosed. The method is useful for purifying lactams produced by the cyclising vapour-phase hydrolysis of an aliphatic aminonitrile, and comprises removing the major part of the ammonia before subjecting the lactam to liquid-liquid extraction by means of a solvent including an acidic solvent and/or contacting said lactam with a cation exchange resin. In most applications of the lactam, it is preferable to carry out a hydrogenation step on the compounds of the lactam solution comprising unsaturations, prior to or in addition to the liquid-liquid extraction step and/or the acidic resin contact step. The purification method may also include an oxidation step in addition to or instead of the hydrogenation step. Said method is preferably combined with a distillation step in the presence of a base.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the treatment of lactams obtained directly from their synthesis process, avoiding the formation of oligomers as far as possible. The invention consists, more precisely, of a process for treating a lactam using the reaction flow obtained from a cyclizing hydrolysis of an aminonitrile, characterized in that the reaction flow leaving the hydrolysis reactor is cooled, over a period of less than or equal to 1 hour, to a temperature below or equal to 150.degree. C. before it is fractionated.