Fine chemicals synthesis: Selective hydrogenation of unsaturated nitriles to unsaturated primary amines

SEGOBIA DARIO; TRASARTI ANDRES; APESTEGUIA CARLOS

BEIJING

Congreso; 6th International Congress on Catalysis (ICC 16); 2016

The liquid-phase hydrogenation of cinnamonitrile to selectively obtain the unsaturated primary amine (cinnamylamine) was studied at 383 K and 13 bar on Ni, Co, Ru and Cu metals supported on silica. Ni and Co were the most active catalysts but formed only small amounts of cinnamylamine. In contrast, Cu and Ru presented low activity but formed selectivity cinnamylamine; nevertheless, on both samples the carbon balance was only about 40%. In an attempt of promoting the rate and yield to cinnamylamine, additional catalytic runs were carried out at higher temperatures and H2 pressures on a highly dispersed Cu/SiO2-II catalyst prepared by the chemisorption-hydrolysis method. Results showed that when cinnamonitrile hydrogenation was performed at 403 K and 40 bar on Cu/SiO2-II, the yield to cinnamylamine was 74% giving as subproduct only the unsaturated secondary amine.