can be hydrogenated with hydrogen to hexarnethylenediarnine (HMDA) using high pressure conditions of 600-650 bar at 100-135 °C with Co-Cu catalysts or 300-350 bar at 100-180°C with Fe catalysts:

The formation of polyamines and hcxamethyleneimine is suppressed in the presence of NH₃. These can form from both nitrile groups by hydrogenation to the aldimine, reaction of the aldimine with amine to split off NH₃ and give the azomethine, followed by hydrogenation to the secondary amine. The secondary amine is also capable of adding to the aldimine intermediates. The selectivity to hexamcthylenediamine is about 90 to 95%.

Other hydrogenation processes use Ni catalysts or Ni catalysts modified with Fe or Cr in the liquid phase, e. g., aqueous caustic soda at lower H₂ pressures up to about 30 bar and at about 75 °C. The selectivity to hcxamethylenediamine can be as high as 99%.