Nylon 12 PA12 with an annual world production of 70000 tons has a lower melting point than PA11 has good electrical insulation and dimensional stability weaker than PA11 due to its low moisture absorp

Nylon 12 (PA12) is a widely used material with an annual global production of 70,000 tons. It possesses good electrical insulation properties and dimensional stability, albeit weaker than PA11, due to its low moisture absorption. In addition, it has a lower melting point than PA11 and is one of the least dense types of nylon. PA12 maintains its strength even at high humidity or sub-zero temperatures. The industrial raw material for PA12 is dodecalactam, which is produced through a common process route involving dehydrogenation of cyclododecanol and cyclododecanone under catalyst action at 230-245°C and atmospheric pressure. The resulting pure cyclododecanone then undergoes an oxime reaction and rearrangement to produce laurolactam, similar to caprolactam. However, the ring-opening reaction of dodecalactam is more challenging and often requires the assistance of acids, amino acids, or nylon salts as ring-opening aids.