by reacting the appropriate polyamine with a hexa lower alkyl phosphorous triamide also known as a tris di lower alkyl amino phosphine the process can be represented by the following equation str10 the chemical reaction involved is a transamidation or amine exchange the boiling point of the resulting di lower alkyl amine r 2 nh should be lower than that of either of the starting materials or of the polycyclic triamide product suitable 1 7 dihydrocarbyldialkylenetriamines of the formula r 3 nh r 1 nh r 2 nh r 4 for forming the bicyclic triamides of formula 1 are known for example 1 7 dimethyldiethylenetriamine 1 7 bis 1 methylheptyl diethylenetriamine 1 7 dicyclopentyldiethylenetriamine and 1 7 dibenzyldiethylenetriamine these starting materials may be prepared by known alkylation methods such as reductive amination of an aldehyde or ketone reductive amination with an aldehyde is carried out in accordance with the equation str11 where r 9 ch 2 and r 10 ch 2 are r 3 and r 4 respectively diethylenetriamine can be prepared by known methods the higher dialkylenetriamines may be prepared by adaptations of these methods the cyclic polyamines used as starting materials for preparing the tricyclic triamides of formula 2 are prepared by the method outlined by richman and atkins in j amer chem soc 96 2268 1974.