Process to prepare higher ethylene amines and ethylene amine derivatives

Process to prepare ethyleneamines of the formula NH2—(C2H4—NH—)pH wherein p is at least 3 or derivatives thereof wherein one or more units —NH—C2H4—NH— may be present as a cyclic ethylene urea unit

• or between two units —NH—C2H4—NH— a carbonyl moiety is present, by reacting an ethanolamine-functional compound, an amine-functional compound in the presence of a carbon oxide delivering agent, in which;
• the ethanolamine functional compound contains a hydroxyl group linked via an ethylene group to an amine group, or its carbamate equivalent, or the ethanolamine functional compound is UAEEA (the urea of aminoethylethanolamine);
• the amine functional compound contains no alcohol groups, and contains at least two primary amine groups and optionally more primary, secondary and/or tertiary amine groups, wherein the amine groups are linked to one another via ethylene groups, and optionally by a carbonyl moiety;
• the carbon oxide delivering agent is carbon dioxide or an organic compound selected from urea, linear and cyclic alkylene ureas, mono- or di-substituted alkylene ureas, alkyl and dialkyl ureas, linear and cyclic carbamates and organic carbonates, and derivatives or precursors thereof selected from carbonate salts, bicarbonate salts and carbamic acids and their salts;
• wherein the molar ratio of ethanolamine-functional compound to amine-functional compound is at least 0.7:1 and the molar ratio of carbon oxide delivering agent to amine-functional compound is at least 0.05:1.