Patent ID: 7547778

Claim:
A method for the preparation in gas phase of an amide, comprising catalytic arrangement of an oxime in the presence of a catalytic composition, wherein the catalytic composition is based on an MFI-type zeolite in the form of microspheres with an average diameter ranging from 30 to 200 μm, containing a quantity of silica ligand ranging from 15 to 20% by weight, having a resistance to attrition, expressed as Davison Index<6.0, and wherein the catalytic composition is obtained by a process comprising: a) hydrolyzing silicon alkoxides in an aqueous medium and under acid conditions, thereby forming a silica sol; b) mixing the silica sol with an aqueous dispersion of MFI-type zeolite particles; c) adjusting the pH of the hybrid silica sol obtained in step (b) to a pH value not higher than 6.0; and d) emulsifying/gelating the hybrid sol in paraffinic, cycloparaffinic or aromatic hydrocarbons, in the presence of a non-ionic surface-active agent or a suitable combination of a non-ionic and cationic surface-active agent, wherein the amide is ε-caprolactam and the oxime is cyclohexanone-oxime.