Caprolactam


 * Caprolactam ** is an organic compound with the formula (CH 2 ) 5 C(O)NH. This colourless solid is a lactum or a cyclic amideof caproic acid.Approximately 2 billion kilograms are produced annually. Caprolactam is the precursor to Nylon 6, which is a widely used synthetic polymer.

Caprolactam was first described in the late 1800s when it was prepared by the cyclization of aminocaproic acid, the product of the hydrolysis of caprolactam. Given the commercial significance of Nylon-6, many methods have been developed for the production of caprolactam. Most of the caprolactam is synthesized from cyclohexanone (**1**), which is first converted to its oxime (**2**). Treatment of this oxime with acid induces the Beckmann rearrangement to give caprolactam (**3**):

Almost all caprolactam goes into the production of Nylon-6. It is only mildly toxic. Caprolactam is produced as clear liquid form and as a crystalline form. Allied signal uses phenol as a raw material, while BASF and DSM use cyclohexane. Caprolactam is a raw material (monomer) for the polyamide-6 production with a wide application in the artificial fibre industry as well as a structural material in the motorization and electrotechnics industry.

In caprolactam's physical state, it looks like white flakes or crystals and is stable under ordinary conditions.