Patent ID: 7183438

Claim:
A process for preparing amines by reacting primary or secondary alcohols, aldehydes or ketones with hydrogen and nitrogen compounds selected from the group consisting of ammonia and primary and secondary amines at elevated temperature and superatmospheric pressure in the presence of a catalyst whose catalytically active composition prior to treatment with hydrogen comprises from 22 to 40% by weight of oxygen-containing compounds of zirconium, calculated as ZrO 2 , from 1 to 30% by weight of oxygen-containing compounds of copper, calculated as CuO, from 15 to 50% by weight of oxygen-containing compounds of nickel, calculated as NiO, with the molar ratio of nickel to copper being greater than 1, from 15 to 50% by weight of oxygen-containing compounds of cobalt, calculated as CoO, and less than 0.5% by weight of alkali metal, calculated as alkali metal oxide.