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US 4,136,156 AGranted
Production of HCN from organic nitriles
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorFrank J. Weigert
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Hydrogen cyanide is produced by reacting an organic nitrile with hydrogen at temperatures of 400-700.degree. C in the presence of selected catalysts. Exemplary is the reaction of benzonitrile and hydrogen at 600.degree. C in the presence of chromia on alumina to produce hydrogen cyanide.
Claims9
A process for preparing hydrogen cyanide comprising reacting hydrogen in the absense of air or oxygen with an organic nitrile of the formula
- RCN or NCR.sup.1 CN
- wherein
- R is alkyl of 1-5 carbons wherein the alpha carbon bears a hydrogen atom and the beta carbon bears no hydrogen atom;
- alkenyl of 2-3 carbons substituted with one phenyl radical;
- phenyl substituted with up to three alkyl radicals of 1-2 carbons each;
- benzyl substituted with up to three alkyl radicals of 1-2 carbons each;
- or pyridyl;
- R.sup.1 is a single bond;
- methylene;
- phenylene substituted with up to two alkyl radicals of 1-2 carbons each;
- at a temperature of 400.degree.-700.degree. C. in the presence of a catalyst effective to produce hydrogen cyanide selected from the group consisting of
- (A) a supported metal of the group Ir, Rh, Ru, Pd and Pt and
- (B) an oxide of a metal of the group Al, Cr, Mg, Mn and Zn, and recovering hydrogen cyanide.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.