PRODUCTION OF LINEAR DIMERS OF ACRYLONITRILE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain the subject compounds useful as intermediates for nylon raw materials in high catalytic activity and in good efficiency, while extremely inhibiting the by-production of propionitrile, by dimerizing acrylonitrile in the presence of a catalyst such as a ruthenium compound. SOLUTION: This method for producing the compounds comprising 1,4 -dicyanobutene and/or adiponitrile useful as important intermediates for hexamethylene diamine comprises dimerizing (A) acrylonitrile in the presence of catalysts comprising (B) a ruthenium compound such as ruthenium cyclooctadienecyclooctatriene and (C) a phosphine compound such as a compound of the formula: R1 R2 P(CH2 )NOOH [R1 , R2 are each an alkyl, phenyl; (n) is 1-3] in a hydrogen gas flow at a temperature of 60-200 deg.C for a reaction time of 1-10 hr. The components B and C are used in amounts of >=0.0005 mole and >=0.0005 mole, respectively, per mole of the component A1 .