| abstract |
The production of quaternary glycine nitriles (I) in which R?1 and R2¿ may be the same or different and are an aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or araliphatic radical with 1 to 30 C atoms, whereby R?1 and R2¿ may also form a saturated or unsaturated five or six-member heterocyclic ring together with the N atom to which they are bonded, which can also contain further hetero-atoms, be benzanellated and have alkyl side groups, while R2 may also be hydrogen; R3 is C1 to C4 alkyl or benzyl; R4 is hydrogen, C¿1? to C20 alkyl which may be interrupted by one or more non adjacent oxygen atoms, or a radical (a) in which R?5¿ is a chemical bond or a C¿1? to C6 alkylene bridge and X?O¿ is a counterion; by the reaction of amines (II) in which the variables R?1 and R2¿ have the above meanings, with a monoaldehyde (IIIa) R6-CHO or a dialdehyde (IIIb) OHC-R5-CHO in which R5 has the above meaning and R6 is hydrogen or C¿1? to C20 alkyl and hydrocyanic acid or an alkaline metal cyanide in an aqueous medium, followed by quaternation with an alkylation agent (IV) R?3¿-X in which R3 has the above meaning and X is an initial group, by reacting the amines (II) with the aldehydes (III) and hydrocyanic acid or alkaline metal cyanide and quaternising in succession without isolating an intermediate product in an aqueous medium. |