Process for preparing arylketoamines

The method of preparing an arylketoamine, which comprises:

• (a) providing an arylalkanone compound of the formula:
• ##STR5## in which R represents hydrogen or a C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl or cycloalkyl and Ar represents an aromatic phenyl radical unsubstituted, or substituted at the ortho and/or para position, or naphthyl radical unsubstituted or substituted at one or more of the 1, 3, 6, and 7 positions, wherein the substituents, one or more, are selected from the group of hydroxyl, alkoxy, alkyl, phenyl, benzyl, and aryloxy radicals, wherein the alkyl in the alkyl-containing substituent(s) is a branched or unbranched C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl radical and any such alkyl radical as well as the phenyl and benzyl radicals may be optionally substituted with one or more substituents selected from hydroxyl, sulfonic acid, and sulfinic acid radicals, the phenyl and benzyl substituents also or alternatively being optionally substituted with one or more C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl or C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkoxy, or both, radicals,
• (b) reacting said arylalkanone with a lower alkyl nitrite in the presence of a strong acid and a dipolar aprotic solvent to produce a reaction mixture which includes an arylisonitrosoalkanone reaction product and water of reaction in said solvent,
• (c) removing water from said reaction mixture, and
• (d) contacting said dried reaction product with hydrogen and a liquid carboxylic acid, which is capable of substantially dissolving said reaction mixture, in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst comprising a transition metal catalyst on an inert support.