Production of nitriles from n-formylated primary amino compounds in contact with acatalyst

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCTION OF NITRILES WHICH COMPRISES PASSING AN N-FORMYLATED PRIMARY AMINO COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AN N-FORMYLATED ALKYL PRIMARY AMINE, AN N, N''-DIFORMYLATED ALKYLENE DI-PRIMARY DIAMINE,AN N-FORMYLATED CYCLOALKYL PRIMARY AMINE, AN N-FORMYLATED ARYL HYDROCARBON PRIMARY AMINE, AN NFORMYLATED PRIMARY AMINES SUBSTITUTED ON CARBON ATOMS WITH 1-2 MEMBERS FROMTHE GROUP CONSISTING OF 1-2 HALOGEN ATOMS, ALKOXY OF 1-4 CARBONS AND NITRILE, SAID NFORMYLATED PRIMARY AMINE BEING FREE FROM REACTIVE GROUPS OTHER THAN SAID N-FORMYLATED AMINE GROUPS,AT 400-600* C. IN THE GAS PHASE INCONTACT WITH A CATALYST SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTIG OF SILICA GEL AND AN INORGANIC SILICATE CONTAINING UP TO 40% BY WEIGHT OF A BASIC OXIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MAGNESIUM OXIDE, CALCIUM OXIDE, IRON OXIDE, ALUMINUM OXIDE AND MIXTURES THEREOF, SAID CATALYST HAVING MORE THAN 50% OF ITS PORES WITH A RADIUS RANGING FROM 10 TO 200 A., A MEAN PORE RADIUS WITHIN THE RANGE OF 20 TO 100 A. AND AN INTERNAL SURFACE OF LESS THAN 550 SQUARE METERS PRE GRAM, AND THEREBY CONVERTING THE N-FORMYLATED PRIMARY AMINO COMPOUND INTO A NITRILE.