Caprolactam CAS No: 105-60-2

07 December 2007 11:08  [Source: Chemical Report]

Caprolactam is an intermediate primarily used in the production of nylon 6 fibres and resins. Just over 70% of caprolactam is consumed in the production of nylon fibres with the rest used in engineering resins and films.

 

The nylon fibres market is mature at around 1%/year growth while demand for engineering resins is much more robust at 4-5%/year. Overall long-term global growth for caprolactam is estimated in the range of 2-2.5%/year.

 

Conventional caprolactam technology is based on the key intermediate cyclohexanone, which is usually produced by the oxidation of cyclohexane. Cyclohexanone is then reacted with hydroxylamine sulphate to produce cyclohexanone oxime. This is followed by a Beckmann rearrangement using oleum to yield caprolactam.

 

Caprolactam occurs as white, hygroscopic flakes or crystals with a distinctive odour. It is a slight fire hazard when exposed to heat or flame and reacts violently with strong oxidants.

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