A process for the simultaneous production of dicarboxylic acids and diamines by cleavage of polyamides into their monomeric constituents

Disclosed is a method for the simultaneous preparation of dicarboxylic acids and diamines from (a) polymers based on polyamides made by reacting dicarboxylic acids or derivatives thereof with diamines or (b) compounds containing essentially such polymers, by decomposing these polymers into their constituent monomers by treating the polymers or compounds with a base in an alcoholic solution and subsequently converting electrochemically the dicarboxylic-acid salts thus produced into the corresponding dicarboxylic acids and bases.