Production of alkyl 6-aminocaproate

US6365770B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• E.I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY · US

Inventors

• Emilio Bunel · Thousand Oaks, US
• Theodore A. Koch · Wilmington, US
• Ronnie Ozer · Arden, US
• Sourav Kumar Sengupta · Wilmington, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 16, 2000
• Grant date: Apr 2, 2002
• Expiry date: Nov 16, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C07C227/12
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A process for making alkyl 6-aminocaproate by hydroformylating 3-pentenenitrile to produce 3-, 4-, and 5-formylvaleronitrile (FVN mixture), converting the FVN mixture to alkyl 3-, 4-, and 5-cyanovalerate by either oxidative esterification of the FVN mixture or oxidation of the FVN mixture followed by esterification; isolating alkyl 5-cyanovalerate; and hydrogenating the alkyl 5-cyanovalerate to produce alkyl 6-aminocaproate. The resulting alkyl 6-aminocaproate can be cyclized to produce caprolactam.