ably water, and 3) an inert organic solvent, preferably a cyclic ether such as tetrahydrofuran, at a temperature of between 0??? C. and 50??? C. for a period of between 1 hour and 5 hours. [0020] The aminocaprolactam compounds of formula VI and the lactone compounds of formula VII may be prepared as described in WO 00/29382.