Synthesis of alkyl and alkylaminonitriles

摘要

A method is provided for synthesizing alkylnitriles and alkylaminonitriles by reacting formaldehyde, a C1-C5 monohydric alcohol and a compound having the formula R1R2NH where R1 and R2 are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl groups containing 1 to 5 carbon atoms under effective conditions in the presence of a catalyst comprising a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite having a silica to alumina ratio of at least about 12 and a constraint index within the approximate range of 1 to 12 and recovering from the resulting reaction mixture, a product containing at least one of the above nitrile compounds.