| abstract |
Polyamides are prepared from a carbonitrile and an amine by reacting by heating a mixture of a carbonitrile which is a dinitrile, an equivalent amount of a primary or secondary amine which is a diamine, and at least a stoichiometric amount of water in the presence of an effective amount of a catalyst. The catalyst is a complex containing at least one metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, rhodium and molybdenum, and at least one group selected from the group consisting of hydride, phosphine, carbonyl, ammonia, and hydroxyl. The polyamine has a recurring unit represented by the general formula: ##STR1## |