Patent ID: 7102025

Claim:
A method for producing an alkyl and/or cycloalkyl-substituted cyclic nitrile, which comprises a step of bringing a cyclic aldehyde having an alkyl group and/or a cycloalkyl group directly bonded to a skeletal ring and a formyl group directly bonded to the skeletal ring into contact with ammonia and oxygen in vapor phase in the presence of a catalyst to selectively ammoxidizing the formyl group into a cyano group, wherein the catalyst contains at least one oxide selected from the group consisting of oxides of V, Mo and Fe; wherein the cyclic aldehyde is brought into contact with ammonia in an amount of 1 to 20 in terms of an equivalent ratio, ammonia/formyl group, with respect to the formyl group of the cyclic aldehyde; and wherein the cyclic aldehyde is brought into contact with oxygen in an amount of 0.4 to 50.0 in terms of an equivalent ratio, (O 2 ×2)/formyl group, with respect to the formyl group of the cyclic aldehyde.