Process for production of tertiary amine compound

A process for producing a tertiary amine compound represented by the following general formula (3):

• ##STR13## wherein Z.sub.1 and Z.sub.2 are each independently an organic residue and may bond to each other to form a ring, and R is a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms which may have a substituent(s), which process comprises subjecting a secondary amine compound represented by the following general formula (1):
• ##STR14## wherein Z.sub.1 and Z.sub.2 have the same definitions as given above and an alcohol represented by the following general formula (2):
• ROH (2)
• wherein R has the same definition as given above to an intermolecular dehydration reaction in a gas phase at a temperature of 250.degree. to 500.degree. C.
• in the presence of an oxide catalyst which consists essentially of an oxide represented by the following general formula (8):
• M.sub.a Si.sub.b X.sub.c O.sub.d ( 8)
• wherein M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of alkali metal elements and alkaline earth metal elements;
• Si is silicon;
• X is at least one element selected from the group consisting of B, Al and P;
• O is oxygen;
• and a, b, c and d are the atom numbers of M, Si, X and O, respectively, with provisos that when a=1, b is 5-200 and c is 0-1 and d is a value determined by the values of a, b and c and the bonding states of individual constituent elements.

A process for producing a tertiary amine compound represented by the following general formula (5):

• ##STR19## wherein l, m, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 have the same definitions as given below in the general formula (4), and R is a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms which may have a substituent(s),
• which process comprises subjecting a secondary amine compound represented by the following formula (4):
• ##STR20## wherein l and m are each independently 0 or 1 with a proviso that they are not 0 simultaneously;
• and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are each independently a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms which may have a substituent(s), with provisos that when l is 0, R.sub.1 is not a hydrogen atom and, when m is 0, R.sub.2 is not a hydrogen atom and an alcohol represented by the following general formula (2):
• ROH (2)
• wherein R has the same definition as given above to an intermolecular dehydration reaction in a gas phase at a temperature of 300.degree. to 450.degree. C.
• in the presence of an oxide catalyst which consists essentially of formula (8):
• M.sub.a Si.sub.b X.sub.c O.sub.d ( 8)
• wherein M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of alkali metal elements and alkaline earth metal elements;
• Si is silicon;
• X is at least one element selected from the group consisting of B, Al and P;
• O is oxygen;
• and a, b, c and d are the atom numbers of M, Si, X and O, respectively, with provisos that when a=1, b is 5-200 and c is 0-1 and d is a value determined by the values of a, b and c and the bonding states of individual constituent elements.

A process for producing a tertiary amine compound represented by the following general formula (7):

• ##STR21## wherein p, q, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 have the same definitions as given below in the general formula (6), and R is a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms which may have substituent(s),
• which process comprises subjecting a secondary amine compound represented by the following formula (6):
• ##STR22## wherein p and q are each independently 0 or 1;
• R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are each a hydrocarbon group of 1-6 carbon atoms which may have a substituent(s), and may bond to each other to form a 5- to 7-membered ring together with N with the provisos that the bond between R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 may contain a hetro atom selected from the group consisting of N, O, and S, may contain an unsaturated bond, and may be condensed with an aromatic ring and an alcohol represented by the following general formula (2):
• ROH
• wherein R has the same definition as given above to an intermolecular dehydration reaction in a gas phase at a temperature of 300.degree. to 450.degree. C.
• in the presence of an oxide catalyst which consists essentially of an oxide represented by the following general formula (8):
• M.sub.a Si.sub.b X.sub.c O.sub.d ( 8)
• wherein M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of alkali metal elements and alkaline earth metal elements;
• Si is silicon;
• X is at least one element selected from the group consisting of B, Al and P;
• O is oxygen;
• and a, b, c and d are the atom numbers of M, Si, X and O, respectively, with provisos that when a=1, b is 5-200 and c is 0-1 and d is a value determined by the values of a, b and c and the bonding states of individual constituent elements.