Make this new C/sub 10/ diamine

A new technology has been developed which permits production of C/sub 10/ diamines from acrylonitrile and isobutylene. In this work, methods were developed to conduct an ''ene'' type reaction using a suitable solvent in a continuous stirred tank reactor. The solvent used was a mixture of unsaturated C/sub 7/ nitriles, produced as an intermediate in the reaction. Technical problems solved in this area which materially contributed to the success of this project include: (1) means to minimize reactor fouling and (2) means to prevent isomerization of the solvent. Unsaturated C/sub 10/ dinitriles produced in the first half of the process were hydrogenated to saturated C/sub 10/ diamines using a suitable catalyst in a trickle bed reactor. Use of NH/sub 3/ in the hydrogenation reactor prevented formation of secondary and tertiary amines. Alkylation products in the hydrogenation reactor were avoided by selection and use of suitable solvents. Condensation of MND with terephthalic acid produced a polyamide (designated as MND-T) having a glass transition temperature above the boiling point of water. Fabrics prepared from MND-T fiber showed outstanding performance when compared with nylon, polyester and Quiana fabrics. MND-T polyamide was also evaluated as an engineering plastic and compared with other nylon resins.more » Processing data and properties of MND-T showed it to be a hard, strong, tough, injection moldable polyamide with better moisture and chemical resistance and higher heat deflection temperature than nylon 6-6 or 6-12.« less