Patent ID: 7705186

Claim:
A process for the preparation of unsaturated and saturated primary fatty amines comprising the steps of: (a) chlorination of the corresponding acid by treatment with neat thionyl chloride in dichloromethane at reflux temperature, to obtain a solution of the corresponding chloride in dichloromethane, (b) addition of the chloride solution of step a) to a solution of liquid ammonia in dichloromethane at a temperature comprised between 0 and 10° C. to yield the corresponding amide, (c) reduction of the amide to amine by treatment with lithium aluminium hydride in tetrahydrofuran, followed by extraction of amine by t-butyl methyl ether, (d) purification of amine of step c) by treatment in solution in t-butyl methyl ether by hydrochloric acid followed by treatment by acetonitrile to yield amine hydrochloride, and optionally (e) treatment of amine hydrochloride of step d) by t-butyl methyl ether and a base to yield amine as a free base.