Amination process using nickel-rhenium catalysts
AssigneeUnion Carbide Corporation
InventorDonald C. Best
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Abstract
The present invention concerns a new nickel-rhenium catalyst and method of preparing said catalyst. The invention also relates to the catalytic amination of lower aliphatic alkane derivatives such as alkanemono-ols, alkanediols and alcoholamines utilizing the new nickel-rhenium catalyst.
Claims16
In the process for aminating a lower aliphatic alkane derivative with ammonia in the presence of a solid catalyst wherein the products comprise both economically desirable alkylamines and undesirable by-products of lesser economic significance, the improvement in selectivity and increased conversion, evidenced by the production of a substantially greater amount of said valuable alkylamines together with concomitant reduction in the yield of undesirable by-products from a given alkane charge, which comprises reacting under amination conditions said alkane charge with ammonia in the presence of hydrogen and a nickel-rhenium catalyst comprising rhenium and nickel impregnated on a support material selected from the group consisting of aluminas, silicas, silica-aluminas, kieselguhrs or diatomaceous earths and silica-titanias, wherein said catalyst has a total nickel and rhenium metal content of 3-30% by weight of the support and the atom ratio of the nickel to the rehnium present is in the range from about 2:1 to about 30:1.
A process for producing lower aminoalkanes by the catalytic amination of lower aliphatic alkane derivatives selected from lower alkanemono-ols, lower alkanediols, lower alkanolamines, and mixtures thereof, said process comprising the step of reacting said alkane derivatives with ammonia under pressure, at a temperature of from 125.degree. C to 350.degree. C, and in the presence of hydrogen and an active nickel-rhenium catalyst, said catalyst comprising rhenium and nickel impregnated on a support material selected from the group consisting of aluminas, silicas, silica-aluminas, kieselguhrs or diatomaceous earths, and silicatitanias, wherein the nickel and rhenium metal content is from 3-30% by weight of the support material and the atom ratio of the nickel to the rhenium present is in the range from about 2:1 to about 30:1, and wherein said catalyst is present in a catalytic amount.
A process for producing ethylenediamine by the catalytic amination of a compound selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, monoethanolamine, ethyleneoxide, ethyleneimine, and mixtures thereof, said process comprising reacting said compound with ammonia in the presence of hydrogen and a Ni-Re catalyst comprising rhenium and nickel impregnated on a support material selected from the group consisting of aluminas, silicas, silica-aluminas, kieselguhrs or diatomaceous earths, and silica-titanias, said catalyst having a total nickel and rhenium metal content of 3-30% by weight of the support and a nickel to rhenium atom ratio in the range from about 2:1 to about 30:1 and wherein said catalyst is activated in the presence of hydrogen at elevated temperature, and wherein the temperature of the amination reaction is in the range 125.degree.-350.degree. C, the pressure is 500-5000 psig and the amount of ammonia present is in excess of 2 times the stochiometric amount required by the compound.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.