Patent ID: 8324430

Claim:
A process for preparing an amine by reacting a primary or secondary alcohol, aldehyde and/or ketone with hydrogen and a nitrogen compound selected from the group of ammonia, primary and secondary amines, in the presence of a zirconium dioxide-, copper- and nickel-containing catalyst, wherein the catalytically active composition of the catalyst, before its reduction with hydrogen, comprises oxygen compounds of zirconium, of copper, of nickel, in the range from 1.0 to 5.0% by weight of oxygen compounds of cobalt, calculated as CoO, and in the range from 0.2 to 5.0% by weight of oxygen compounds of sulfur, of phosphorus, of gallium, of lead and/or of antimony, calculated in each case as H 2 SO 4 , H 3 PO 4 , Ga 2 O 3 , PbO and Sb 2 O 3 respectively and wherein the catalytically active composition of the catalyst does not comprise any molybdenum.