| abstract |
A process for making 6-aminocaproic acid by hydroformylating 3-pentenenitrile to produce 3-, 4-, and 5-formylvaleronitrile (FVN mixture), oxidizing the FVN mixture to produce 3-, 4-, and 5-cyanovaleric acid; hydrogenating the resulting product to produce 6-aminocaproic acid, 5-amino-4-methylvaleric acid, and 4-amino-3-ethylbutyric acid; and isolating 6-aminocaproic acid from the reaction product. The resulting 6-aminocaproic acid can be cyclized to produce caprolactam. |