2-(3,3,5-TRIMETHYLCYCLOHEXYL)PROPANE-1,3-DIAMINE, A PROCESS FOR ITS PRODUCTION AND USE

Abstract

A diamine 2-(3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl)propane-1,3-diamine of formula 1

##STR00001## and a process for producing 2-(3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl)propane-1,3-diamine by A) reacting isophorone (IP) and malononitrile to afford the intermediate 2-(3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ylidene)malononitrile, and B) hydrogenating 2-(3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ylidene)malononitrile in the presence of at least one catalyst. In another embodiment, the hydrogenation in step B) of the process is performed at 20-120° C. and at 20-300 bar.

Claims

1. A diamine 2-(3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl)propane-1,3-diamine of formula 1 ##STR00004##

2. A process for producing 2-(3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl)propane-1,3-diamine of formula 1 ##STR00005## the process comprising the steps of A) reacting isophorone (IP) and malononitrile to produce an intermediate 2-(3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ylidene)malononitrile, and B) hydrogenating the intermediate 2-(3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ylidene)malononitrile in the presence of at least one catalyst.

3. The process according to claim 2, wherein the hydrogenation in step B) is performed at from 20-120° C. and at from 20-300 bar.

4. The process according to claim 2, wherein the hydrogenation in step B) is performed in two stages at from at 40-100° C. and at from 25-150 bar.

5. The process according to claim 4, wherein the hydrogenation in step B) is performed in two stages at from 20-120° C. and at from 20-300 bar.

6. The process according to claim 4, wherein the hydrogenation is performed at from 40-100° C. and from 25-150 bar in the first stage and at from 50-115° C. and from 50-200 bar in the second stage.

7. The process according to claim 4, wherein the hydrogenation is performed at from 60-90° C. and from 40-80 bar in the first stage and at from 80-110° C. and from 80-140 bar in the second stage.

8. The process according to claim 2, wherein the at least one catalyst is selected from nickel, copper, iron, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium or cobalt catalysts.

9. The process according to claim 2, wherein the at least one catalyst are palladium and/or cobalt catalysts.

10. The process according to claim 2, wherein the at least one catalyst are Raney-type catalysts or supported catalysts.

11. The process according to claim 2, wherein the at least one catalyst is a catalyst composed of activated Raney cobalt alloy pellets, wherein after activation the catalyst in its entirety has the following composition in weight percent (wt %), the proportions summing to 100 wt % based on the metals present: cobalt: 57 to 84 wt % aluminium: 10 to 40 wt % chromium: 1 to 2 wt % nickel: 2 to 4 wt % and with particle sizes of the catalyst, i.e. the pellet particles, having a statistical distribution between 3 to 7 millimetres (mm), wherein up to 10 percent of the particles may also be outside the stated range of the stated lower limit or upper limit but also in each case up to 10 percent may be outside the stated range of the stated lower limit and upper limit.

12. The process according to claim 2, wherein the hydrogenation is performed in fixed-bed reactors.

13. A hardener in epoxy resin compositions comprising a 2-(3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl)propane-1,3-diamine (CPDA).

14. The process according to claim 3, wherein the at least one catalyst is selected from the group consisting of nickel, copper, iron, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium or cobalt catalysts.

15. The process according to claim 3, wherein the at least one catalyst is palladium and/or cobalt catalysts.

16. The process according to claim 3, wherein the at least one catalyst are Raney-type catalysts or supported catalysts.

17. The process according to claim 3, wherein the at least one catalyst is a catalyst composed of activated Raney cobalt alloy pellets, wherein after activation the catalyst in its entirety has the following composition in weight percent (wt %), the proportions summing to 100 wt % based on the metals present: cobalt: 57 to 84 wt % aluminium: 10 to 40 wt % chromium: 1 to 2 wt % nickel: 2 to 4 wt % and with particle sizes of the catalyst, i.e. the pellet particles, having a statistical distribution between 3 to 7 millimetres (mm), wherein up to 10 percent of the particles may also be outside the stated range of the stated lower limit or upper limit but also in each case up to 10 percent may be outside the stated range of the stated lower limit and upper limit.

18. The process according to claim 2, wherein the hydrogenation in step B) is performed in fixed-bed reactors selected from the group consisting of shaft furnaces, tray reactors or shell and tube reactors.

19. The process according to claim 5, wherein at least one catalyst selected from the group consisting of nickel, copper, iron, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium or cobalt catalysts.

20. The process according to claim 5, wherein the at least one catalyst is palladium and/or cobalt catalysts.

Description

EXAMPLES

Example 1: Production of 2-(3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl)propane-1,3-diamine (CPDA)

Step A): Synthesis of 2-(3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ylidene)malononitrile

[0025] ##STR00003## [0026] A 2 L three-necked flask fitted with two dropping funnels was initially charged with 484 g of isophorone (IP). The reactor contents were kept at room temperature. [0027] 231 g of malononitrile were diluted with 250 g of ethanol (EtOH) and initially charged into a dropping funnel. [0028] 7 g of piperidine (catalyst) were diluted with 50 g of EtOH and filled into the second dropping funnel. [0029] The contents of both dropping funnels were then simultaneously added dropwise to the reactor and the reactor was then stirred for two hours at 50° C. [0030] The reaction mixture formed was cooled to 10° C. and the thus precipitated product (2-(3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ylidene)malononitrile) was filtered off. [0031] The further purification was effected by recrystallization in cold ethanol and subsequent filtration and drying in a vacuum drying cabinet (45° C., 10 mbar, 3 h). [0032] The product composition was determined by gas chromatography.

[0033] The yield of 2-(3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ylidene)malononitrile was 50%.

Step B1): Partial hydrogenation of 2-(3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ylidene)malononitrile to Produce CPDA, 1st Hydrogenation Stage

[0034] 150 ml of the fixed-bed catalyst Pd/aluminium oxide (1 wt % Pd) was installed in a 2 L pressure autoclave fitted with a catalyst cage. [0035] 1 L of solution comprising 10 wt % of 2-(3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ylidene)malononitrile (product from step A) in tetrahydrofuran was initially charged for the reaction. [0036] The reaction was effected at 75° C. with 50 bar of hydrogen for 5 h. [0037] The entire product solution was discharged from the reactor. [0038] The composition of the product solution was determined by gas chromatography.

Step B2) 2nd Hydrogenation Stage: Full Hydrogenation of Product Solution from Step B

[0039] 150 ml of activated Raney cobalt alloy pellets were installed as a fixed bed in a 2 L pressure autoclave fitted with a catalyst cage. This catalyst had the following composition in weight percent (wt %), the proportions summing to 100 wt % based on the metals present: [0040] cobalt: 75.9 wt % [0041] aluminium: 20.0 wt % [0042] chromium: 1.5 wt % [0043] nickel: 2.6 wt %

[0044] A sieve fraction of the catalyst having a statistical distribution between 2.0 and 5.0 millimetres (mm) was employed, wherein up to 10% of the particles may be above the stated upper limit and up to 10% of the particles may be below the stated lower limit. [0045] 1 L of reaction solution (partially hydrogenated product from step B1 in THF) was initially charged for the reaction. [0046] The reaction was effected at 100° C. with 100 bar of hydrogen for 5 h. [0047] The composition of the product solution was determined by gas chromatography. [0048] For use of CPDA as a hardener in epoxy resin systems the product obtained was purified by distillation.

[0049] The yield of the two-stage hydrogenation (steps B1 and B2) was 83 wt % of CPDA based on the employed dinitrile from stage A.

Example 2: CPDA as a Hardener in Epoxy Resin Systems

[0050] The epoxy resin employed was the standard resin Epikote 828 from Hexion having an epoxy equivalent weight of 188 g/eq. Said resin was blended in stoichiometric equality of the H equivalents with the hardener component CPDA (cf. Table 1) and the glass transition temperature (Tg) was determined after a dwell time of one hour at a defined curing temperature (Table 2). The respective reaction conversions were determined via the recorded evolution of heat from the curing reaction in relation to the maximum evolution of heat (Table 3).

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Ratio of resin to hardener Hardener component CPDA (g) 100 Amount of epoxy resin (g) per 100 g of hardener 380

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Glass transition temperatures (Tg) after one hour of curing at various temperatures Tgmax. (DSC) 135° C. Tg after 1 h 50° C.  47° C. Tg after 1 h 70° C.  75° C. Tg after 1 h 90° C.  97° C. Tg after 1 h 110° C. 117° C. Tg after 1 h 130° C. 130° C. Tg after 1 h 150° C. 134° C.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Conversions Conversion after 1 h 50° C.  90% Conversion after 1 h 70° C.  90% Conversion after 1 h 90° C.  92% Conversion after 1 h 110° C. 100% Conversion after 1 h 130° C. 100% Conversion after 1 h 150° C. 100%

[0051] As is readily apparent to a person skilled in the art from Table 1, Table 2 and Table 3, CPDA is a suitable hardener component in epoxy resin systems.