Preparation of aromatic amines

The process which consists essentially in heating a starting hydrocarbon of the formula ##STR4## wherein R and R.sup.1 are alkyl of 1-4 carbon atoms and

• m and n are 0 or 1
• with anhydrous ammonia at a temperature range of 300.degree.-650.degree. C in the absence of air to produce a compound of the formula ##STR5## where R, R.sup.1, m and n have the values stated above and where the heating is carried out in the presence of a catalyst selected from the group consisting of:
• A. one or more oxides of Al, Cd, Ce, Fe, In, Sn, Th, Ti, Zn and Zr;
• B. vanadium oxide and one or more oxides of Ag, As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cu, Eu, Fe, Gd, Hf, In, La, Mg, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, Sb, Sn, Sr, Ti, U and Zn;
• C. titanium oxide and one or more oxides of Bi, Cr, Cu, Mo, Pb, U and W;
• D. zinc oxide and one or more oxides of Cr, La, Mg, P, Si, Sb, W and the pair Bi-Mo;
• E. aluminum oxide and one or more oxides of Cu, Eu, La, Mn, Pb, and U;
• F. aluminum oxide, molybdeum oxide and one or more oxides of Ca, Cd, Ce, Cu, Er, Fe, In, La, Ni, Pb, Sm, Sr, Ti, U, Y and Zn;
• G. aluminum oxide, tungsten oxide and one or more oxides of Ca, Ce, Cu, Fe, In, La, Pb, Sm, Ti, U and Zn;
• H. aluminum oxide, titanium oxide and one or more oxides of Cr, Mg, rare earths, Re, Te and V;
• I. aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, zinc oxide and one or more oxides of Ag, Bi, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, La, Mg, Nb, Ni, Pb, Pr, Ru, Sm, Sr, V, Yb, and Y;
• J. aluminum oxide, molybdenum oxide, bismuth oxide and one or more oxides of Ca, Cu, Pb, Ti, and Zn;
• K. aluminum oxide, molybdenum oxide, zirconium oxide and one or more oxides of Ce, Ti, and Zn;
• L. molybdenum oxide and one or more oxides of Cd, Ce, Cu, Fe, Gd, La, Mg, Mn, Nb, P, Pb, Ti and Zn;
• M. zinc oxide, titanium oxide and one or more oxides of Cr, La, Mg and Nb;
• N. cdS;
• CoS;
• CdS/aluminum oxide;
• CdS/titanium oxide/aluminum oxide;
• chromium sulfide;
• ZnSe;
• ZnS;
• ZnTe;
• ZnS/aluminum oxide;
• CdS/ZnS/aluminum oxide and WS.sub.2;
• and
• O. aluminum oxide, vanadium oxide and one or more oxides of Ag, Ba, Ca, Cd, Cu, Ga, In, La, Mg, Pb, Sr, Y, Zn, and Zr.