Improvements in the production of lactams from oxime hydrochlorides

Abstract

Abstract A process for the production of lactams comprises allowing a sulphuric acid of 80 to 100% by weight which may contain up to 50% by weight of free sulphur trioxide dissolved therein to act on a hydrochloride of a cycloaliphatic ketoxime having a ring member number of 5 to 10 carbon atoms. A proportion of lactam may be added to the reactants to initiate the reaction. The reaction mixture may be neutralized with aqueous alkali metal or alkaline earth metal hydroxides or concentrated ammonia solution or gaseous ammonia. The liquid hydrochlorides formed by treating crystalline cycloaliphatic oxime hydrochlorides with hydrogen chloride may be employed as starting materials. Oximes, of which the hydrochlorides may be employed as starting materials, specified are cyclopentanone, cyclohexanone, methylcyclohexanone, cycloheptanone, cyclooctanone and cyclodecanone. The preparations of o -caprolactam, o -valerolactam and o -aenantholactam are described.

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