Process for the production of aminopropylmethylethanolamine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9428446-B2
Application number	US-201214377222-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2012
Priority date	Feb 10, 2012
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

A new process for the production of APMMEA (aminopropylmethylethanolamine) is proposed. This process comprises at least 2 steps in which MEAPN (monomethylethanolaminopropionitrile) is first produced from MMEA (monomethylethanol amine) and ACN (acrylonitrile) and then said MEAPN is hydrogenated to obtain the corresponding amine, the APMMEA compound. APMMEA may be then eventually purified by several known process, notably by distillation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for the production of APMMEA comprising at least 2 steps:
(a) Production of MEAPN from reaction of MMEA and ACN;
(b) Hydrogenation of said MEAPN in the presence of a reaction medium comprising a catalyst, inorganic base, and water to produce APMMEA; and
(c) Isolation of said APMMEA.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein in said step (a) the molar/molar proportion of said MMEA/ACN is comprised between 0.98 and 1.2.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is a Raney metal.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said inorganic base is selected from the group consisting of LiOH, NaOH, KOH, RbOH, CsOH and their mixtures.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the amount of said inorganic base added is determined in order to have at least 0.2 mol of base per kilogram of said catalyst.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein in said step (b) the hydrogenation reaction is carried out in the presence of said APMMEA as solvent.

7. The process according to claim 6 , wherein the concentration of said APMMEA in the reaction medium is advantageously between 50% and 99% by weight, of the liquid phase of the hydrogenation reaction medium.

8. The process according to claim 1 , wherein in said step (b) the hydrogenation reaction is carried out in the presence of water as other component of the reaction medium.

9. The process according to claim 8 , wherein the water is present in an amount of less than or equal to 50% by weight, in the liquid phase of the total reaction medium.

10. The process according to claim 8 , wherein the water is present in an amount comprised between 0.1 and 15% by weight, in the liquid phase of the total reaction medium.

11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said APMMEA is purified by continuous or batch distillation in a step (c) at atmospheric or reduced pressure.

Assignees

• Ma Yuhao
• Xu Peijun
• Chen Jieping
• Leconte Philippe
• Mu Ann
• Rhodia Operations

Inventors

• Ma Yuhao
• Xu Peijun
• Chen Jieping
• Leconte Philippe
• Mu Ann

Classifications

• C07C213/02

  by reactions involving the formation of amino groups from compounds containing hydroxy groups or etherified or esterified hydroxy groups · CPC title

• C07C253/30 Primary

  by reactions not involving the formation of cyano groups · CPC title

• C07C255/24

  containing cyano groups and singly-bound nitrogen atoms, not being further bound to other hetero atoms, bound to the same saturated acyclic carbon skeleton · CPC title

• C07C215/14

  the nitrogen atom of the amino group being further bound to hydrocarbon groups substituted by amino groups · CPC title