Process for producing laurolactam

• Main Authors: Ishihara, Kazuaki, Kugimoto, Junichi, Kawai, Joji
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 24.04.2012

Disclosed is a method for producing laurolactam from cyclododecanone and hydroxylamine in a simple process and with high efficiency. The method comprises the following steps (a) to (e): (a) reacting cyclododecanone with hydroxylamine in an aqueous solution in the presence of an excess amount of cyclododecanone or a solvent to produce cyclododecanone oxime; (b) separating the reaction mixture obtained after the oxime-forming step into an oil and an aqueous phases and collecting a solution of cyclododecanone oxime of the oil phase as; (c) removing dissolved water from the solution of cyclododecanone oxime which is collected as an oily phase in the oil/aqueous phase separation step; (d) producing laurolactam from cyclododecanone oxime by rearrangement reaction using an aromatic-ring containing compound as a rearrangement catalyst; and (e) separating the produced laurolactam from the reaction mixture after the rearrangement step and purifying the laurolactam.