PRODUCTION OF POLYETHYLENEPOLYAMINE

摘要

PURPOSE:To obtain the titled compound useful as a paper strengthening agent in high yield at a low cost on an industrial scale, by using an iminodiacetonitrile as a raw material and subjecting to catalytic hydrogenation under specific reaction condition using a cobalt-based catalyst developed with an alkali in a reaction solvent. CONSTITUTION:An acyclic polyethylenepolyamine such as diethylenetriamine can be produced by the catalytic hydrogenation of an iminodiacetonitrile with H2 in a reaction solvent such as dioxane at 25-250 deg.C under a hydrogen pressure of 200-500kg/cm<2> in the presence of a cobalt-based catalyst and optionally NH3. The cobalt-based catalyst used in the above reaction is produced by developing Raney-cobalt alloy powder with an aqueous solution of NaOH and washing the powder until the supernatant liquid becomes neutral or weakly alkaline state. The catalyst for the catalytic hydrogenation can be produced extremely easily, the Raney-cobalt catalyst can be used without treating with an organic acid and the production of by-product can be suppressed. The titled compound can be used as an epoxy resin hardener.