Production of tertiary amines by reductive alkylation

A process for the production of tertiary amines of the formula ##STR2## which comprises the reductive alkylation at from 20.degree. C. to 200.degree. C. of (I) a secondary amine of the formula ##STR3## with (II) a member from the group of the aliphatic aldehydes and the aliphatic ketones of the formula ##STR4## where R and R' can be:

• (a) alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted, linear or branched, having from one to twenty carbon atoms;
• or (b) a substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl having from four to eight ring carbon atoms;
• or (c) a substituted or unsubstituted hydroxyalkyl, linear or branched, having from one to twenty carbon atoms;
• or (d) a substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl having from seven to twenty carbon atoms;
• or (e) hydrogen;
• and R" and R'" singly can be:
• (a) alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted, linear or branched, having from one to twenty carbon atoms;
• or (b) hydrogen;
• or (c) when taken together they can be alkylene having from three to six carbon atoms forming a cyclic ketone, in contact with hydrogen at a superatmospheric pressure, a water-segregating agent and a catalytically effective amount, sufficient to carry out the reductive alkylation, of a hydrogenation catalyst.