Production of aliphatic nitriles

Claim 1

PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ALIPHATIC NITILES, WHICH COMPRISES VAPORIZING A SATURATED ALIPHATIC MONOCARBOXYLIC ACID CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO CARBON ATOMS, MIXING THE VAPORS WITH AMMONIA IN A RATION OF 1 TO 2 MOLS OF AMMONIA FOR EACH MOL OF SAID ACID VAPOR; PASSING THE RESULTING REACTION MIXTURE THROUGH A REACTION ZONE CONTAINING A CATALYST SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACTIVATED ALUMINA, SILICA-ALUMINA GEL AND ALUMINA-THORIA GEL MAINTAINED IN A FLUIDIZED STATE AND AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 300 TO 400* C., ALLOWING THE REACTION MIXTURE TO REMAIN IN CONTACT WITH THE CATALYST FOR 0.1 TO 1.0 SECONDS PASSING THE MIXTURE OF REACTION PRODUCTS FORMED INTO A STREAM OF COOLED XYLENE TO CONDENSE THE SAME, SEPARATING A XYLENE SOLUTION OF ALIPHATIC NITRILE FROM THE CONDENSATE AND FRACTIONALLY DISTILLING THE XYLENE SOLUTION TO OBTAIN PURIFIED ALIPHATIC NITRILE.