Process for the production of benzonitrile

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR PRODUCING BENZONITRILE, WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING TOLUENE WITH AMMONIA, IN THE GASEOUS PHASE, AT A TEMPERATURE VARYING BETWEEN ABOUT 875* F. AND ABOUT 1250* F., AND IN THE PRESENCE OF AIR IN AMOUNTS OF AT LEAST ABOUT 15 PER CENT BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF SAID TOLUENE AND OF A CATALYST CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF HARD, HOMOGENEOUS, POROUS AND DRIED INORGANIC OXIDE GEL PATICLES CONTAINING SILICA AND ALUMINA IN A WEIGHT RATIO VARYING BETWEEN ABOUT 20:1 AND ABOUT 6:1, RESPECTIVELY, SAID GEL PARTICLES BEING FORMED BY FORMING A HYDROSOL OF INORGANIC OXIDE INCLUDING SILICA AND ALUMINA, INTRODUCING SAID HYDROSOL IN THE FORM OF SEPARATE GLOBULES INTO A FLUID MEDIUM WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY IMMISCIBLE WITH WATER AND WHICH IS KEPT AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW THE BOILING POINT OF THE HYDROSOL, WHEREBY THE GLOBULES ASSUME A SPHEROIDAL SHAPE, MAINTAINING SAID GLOBULES IN SAID MEDIUM FOR A PERIOD OF TIME SUFFICIENT TO EFFECT GELATION TO PRODUCE GEL SPHEROIDS, WASHING SAID GEL SPHEROIDS WITH WATER TO REMOVE WATER-SOLUBLE SALTS, BASE EXCHANGING SAID GEL SPHEROIDS WITH A SOLUTION CONTAINING A CATION CAPABLE OF REPLACING ALKALI METALS, AND DRYING THE WASHED AND BASE EXCHANGED SPHEROIDS.