| abstract |
A process for preparing 4-aminodiphenylamine (4-ADPA) comprising steps of coupling of aniline with nitrobenzene in presence of a suitable base, e.g. tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), hydrogenation of the coupling mass, phase separation, hydrogenation of azobenzene in the separated organic mass and fractional distillation for 4-ADPA recovery. An improvement in 4-ADPA recovery and a lowering of tar formation are obtained due to azobenzene reduction prior to 4-ADPA isolation. Also a gain in volume productivity of 4-ADPA is obtained by suitably altering the batch cycle time of the coupling reaction. |