Patent ID: 7161021

Claim:
A process for producing a polynitrile compound which comprises introducing a polysubstituted organic compound selected from carbon ring compounds having a plurality of organic substituents and heterocyclic compounds having a plurality of organic substituents into a reactor in combination with ammonia and a gas containing oxygen and ammoxidizing the polysubstituted organic compound by gas phase reaction at 300° to 500° C. in a presence of a catalyst, wherein said carbon ring compounds have a carbon ring selected from the group consisting of benzene ring, naphthalene ring, anthracene ring, cyclohexene ring, cyclohexane ring, dihydronaphthalene ring, tetraline ring and decaline ring, wherein said heterocyclic compounds have a heterocyclic ring selected from the group consisting of furan ring, pyrrol ring, indole ring, thiophene ring, pyrazole ring, imidazole ring, oxazole ring, pyran ring, pyridine ring, quinoline ring, isoquinoline ring, pyrroline ring, pyrrolidine ring, imidazoline ring, piperidine ring and piperadine ring, wherein the organic substituents are selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, propyl, formyl, acetyl, hydroxymethyl and methoxycarbonyl, and wherein a reaction gas discharged from the reactor contacts with an organic solvent, to provide a resultant liquid, and the resultant liquid is separated into the polynitrile compound and a mixture of unreacted polysubstituted organic compound and an intermediate mononitrile compound, and at least a portion of the unreacted polysubstituted organic compound and the intermediate mononitrile compound is recycled to the reactor in a manner such that a flow rate by mole of the mononitrile compound at an outlet of the reactor is adjusted in a range of 2 to 16% based on a total of flow rates by mole of the polysubstituted organic compound and the mononitrile compound supplied to the reactor.