PROCESS FOR PREPARING CYANO GROUP-CONTAINING AROMATIC METHYLAMINES

摘要

A process for preparing a cyanoarylmethylamine by hydrogenating only one of the two cyano groups of an aromatic dinitrile, which enables the preparation of the objective amine in a high yield through the reaction of the dinitrile at a high conversion by the use of a small amount of a catalyst under the reaction conditions of low temperature and low pressure. In this process, at least one member selected from among activated Raney catalysts prepared by treating Raney catalysts with hydrogen in solvents and regenerated Raney catalysts prepared by treating Raney catalysts with hydrogen in the presence of alkalis in solvents is used as the catalyst in preparing a cyanoarylmethylamine from an aromatic dinitrile. The amount of the activated Raney catalyst to be used is preferably 0.1 to 10 wt.%, still preferably 0.5 to 5 wt.% based on the aromatic dinitrile and that of the regenerated Raney catalyst to be used is preferably 0.1 to 50 wt.%, still preferably 0.5 to 20 wt.% based thereon. The activated Raney catalyst is preferably one containing nickel and/or cobalt and prepared through activation in a solvent under a hydrogen atmosphere, while the regenerated Raney catalyst is preferably one prepared by subjecting a Raney catalyst which has been used for the preparation of a cyanoarylmethylamine from an aromatic dinitrile to regeneration with hydrogen in a solvent in the presence of an alkali.