Beckmann Rearrangement of Cyclohexanone Oxime on MFI‐Type Zeolites

Abstract

ϵ-Caprolactam is produced on an industrial scale nearly exclusively by Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime in concentrated sulfuric acid. In spite of the high yield of ϵ-caprolactam this process exhibits many weaknesses arising from the use of the liquid acid and the corrosiveness of the reaction medium. Therefore, many attempts have been undertaken to employ solid acids as catalysts in the Beckmann rearrangement. The most suitable catalysts are zeolites of the MFI-structure type. The major aim of the present study was to investigate how these zeolites work as catalysts in the Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime.