NOUVEAU PROCEDE DE PREPARATION D'AZINES

A process is described for the production of azines by contacting in the liquid phase ammonia, hydrogen peroxide and a carbonyl compound, either an aldehyde or a ketone. The reaction takes place in the presence of an amide (I) of a monocarboxylic or dicarboxylic acid, wherein at least one of the ionization constants is below 5 x 10-5, and further in the presence of an inorganic or organic catalyst (II), having the atomic structure H-X-Y=Z, H representing hydrogen, X and Z representing oxygen or nitrogen and Y representing carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, sulphur, selenium or tellurium. It is possible for X, Y or Z to carry other substituents, providing valency rules are obeyed. The process is carried out in the presence of the ammonium salt (III) of the carboxylic acid corresponding to the amide (I), at the rate of at least 0.1 mole of the ammonium salt (III) per mole of hydrogen peroxide employed.