Patent ID: 8877976

Claim:
A process for preparing isophoronediamine, the process comprising: reacting isophoronenitrile with ammonia optionally in the presence of at least one of an imination catalyst and a solvent to obtain a first product comprising isophoronenitrileimine with a conversion of isophoronenitrile to isophoronenitrileimine of greater than 80%, subjecting a reaction mixture comprising the first product as obtained from said reacting or after a further treatment to aminating hydrogenation over a hydrogenation catalyst in the presence of ammonia, hydrogen, and optionally an organic solvent at a temperature of from 20 to 150° C. and a pressure of from 0.3 to 50 MPa, thereby obtaining a second product comprising isophoronediamine, wherein a cyanide ion concentration in the reaction mixture subjected to the aminating hydrogenation is of from 200 ppmw to 5000 ppmw, based on an amount of the isophoronenitrile added.