Process for the preparation of organic isocyanate compounds

A process for preparing organic isocyanates which comprises reacting at a temperature of from 150.degree. to 250.degree. C, for from 0.1 to 10 hours, an alkali metal or ammonium cyanate, or mixture thereof, with a compound having the formula

• (X).sub.n RCH.sub.2 Cl
• wherein X is chlorine, alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, phenyl, chloromethylphenyl or chloromethyl, n is zero or an integer of from 1 to 3 and R is an aromatic hydrocarbon radical, and X can be the same or different when n is more than 1,
• in the presence of a catalyst composition consisting essentially of (a) from 0.1 to 20 weight percent, based on the weight of said compound, of a cuprous salt selected from the group consisting of cuprous chloride, cuprous bromide, cuprous thiocyanate, cuprous cyanate and mixtures thereof, and (b) a nitrogen compound selected from the group consisting of triethylene diamine, pyridine, ethylpyridine, lutidine, collidine, trimethylamine, triethylamine, tripropylamine, tributylamine, triamylamine, trihexylamine, tri-higher-alkylamines, dimethylbenzylamine, methyldibenzylamine, tribenzylamine, dimethylnaphthylamine, N-methylpiperidine, N-methylmorpholine, N-butylmorpholine, N,N'-dimethylpiperazine, tetramethylammonium chloride, tetraethylammonium chloride, trimethylbenzylammonium chloride, dimethylbenzyl-higher-alkyl-ammonium chloride, tetramethylammonium bromide, tetraethylammonium bromide, trimethylbenzylammonium bromide, 1,8-diazabicyclo[ 5.4.0]-7-undecene and mixtures thereof, in an amount of said nitrogen compound equivalent to from 0.05 to 1.25 gram atoms of nitrogen per gram mole of said cuprous salt, and in a solvent, or mixture of solvents, having a dielectric constant (.epsilon.) of .ltoreq. 20, which are free of active hydrogen atoms and which have a boiling point of from 150.degree. to 400.degree. C.