Patent ID: 7659422
Filing Date: 2010-02-09
Classification: C07C

Abstract:
1. A hydrocyanation process to produce adiponitrile and other dinitriles having six carbon atoms, the process comprising: a) forming a reaction mixture in the presence of at least one Lewis acid, said reaction mixture comprising ethylenically unsaturated nitriles having five carbon atoms, hydrogen cyanide, and a catalyst precursor composition, by continuously feeding the ethylenically unsaturated nitriles, the hydrogen cyanide, and the catalyst precursor composition; b) controlling X and Z, c) withdrawing a reaction product mixture comprising adiponitrile; wherein the ratio of the concentration of 2-pentenenitriles to the concentration of 3-pentenenitriles in the reaction mixture is in the range from about 0.2/1 to about 10/1; wherein the catalyst precursor composition comprises a zero-valent nickel and at least one bidentate phosphite ligand; and wherein the bidentate phosphite ligand is selected from a member of the group represented by Formulas I and II, in which all like reference characters have the same meaning, except as further explicitly limited: wherein each R each R each R