investment versus conversion per pass and the like the catalyst to nbd ratios are discussed hereinafter while typical conditions are provided by the examples the amount of rhcl p c 6 h 5 3 3 present compared to nbd feed should be sufficient to obtain the desired product generally the mole ratio of nbd to rhcl p c 6 h 5 3 3 will range between from about 100 to about 1000 with a more typical range between from about 250 to about 750 deac eadc or easc is the second component of the catalyst system with eadc preferred the amount of the second component can vary substantially but generally it relates to the amount of rhcl p c 6 h 5 3 3 used an effective mole ratio range of deac eadc or easc or rhcl p c 6 h 5 3 3 can be between from about 0 5 to about 100 with about 2 to about 50 preferred and about 5 to about 20 more preferred excess deac eadc or easc also serves as a scavenger for any water and or oxygen in the system generally however when deac or eadc or easc is used it is advantageous to conduct the reaction under substantially anhydrous conditions and under an inert gas blanket a suitable solvent can be used in the.