Patent ID: 6472561
Filing Date: 2002-10-29
Classification: B01J,C07C

Abstract:
A process for at least partially hydrating a nitrile to an amide, the process comprising the steps of selecting a catalyst, wherein said catalyst comprises crystallites of at least one copper compound deposited upon particles of a mechanically stable phase of aluminum oxide, wherein the crystallites have an average size of from about 20 to about 300 angstroms, the particles have an average diameter of from about 1 &mgr;m to about 20 mm, and wherein about 10 to about 35 weight percent of a total weight of the catalyst is copper metal, loading a quantity of said catalyst and a mixture, said mixture comprising a quantity of water and a quantity of a nitrile, into a reactor and contacting the mixture and the catalyst therein in a manner and at a temperature effective to convert at least a portion of the nitrile into the amide.