Patent ID: 7179945

Claim:
A method of producing a di(aminomethyl)-substituted aromatic compound represented by the following formula I: NH 2 CH 2 —R—CH 2 NH 2 (I) wherein R is a bivalent aromatic group and optionally substituted by a group inert to hydrogenation, by a two-stage hydrogenation comprising: a first stage of hydrogenating an aromatic dinitrile represented by the following formula II: CN—R—CN (II) wherein R is the same as defined above, into a cyano(aminomethyl)-substituted aromatic compound represented by the following formula III: NH 2 CH 2 —R—CN (III) wherein R is the same as defined above, in the presence of a catalyst X containing Pd; and a second stage of hydrogenating the cyano(aminomethyl)-substituted aromatic compound from the first stage into the di(aminomethyl)-substituted aromatic compound in the presence of a catalyst Y containing Ni and/or Co.