Abstract: A process for the preparation of an 1,1-disubstituted oxirane is disclosed, wherein an organic sulphide is reacted in a polar solvent with an educt containing a leaving group attached to a primary or secondary carbon atom, and/or the sulfonium salt formed in this way is reacted with a ketone in presence of a base and a polar solvent. Oxiranes of the type obtained may be further converted into the corresponding ?-hydroxyketone or ?-aminoketone, either in one step by subjecting to aerobic oxidation in the presence of a transition metal catalyst, or in two steps by hydrolyzation in the presence of an aqueous acid to the corresponding dialcohol and subsequent selective oxidation. Further described are some novel epoxide intermediates. The ?-hydroxyketones and ?-aminoketones thus obtainable are useful inter alia as photoinitiators.

Abstract: Disclosed are derivatives of isosorbide having formula (I) wherein R? and R? represent hydrogen or a polymeric ether moiety (CH2—CHR1—O)x—H, where R1 represents hydrogen, or an alkyl or alkenyl moiety having 1 to 33 carbon atoms, which is saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear. This polymeric ether moiety can be a homopolymer or a copolymer, with x being the total degree of polymerization (DP). Preferred is a block copolymer composed of monomer A (DP=a), preferably ethylene oxide or propylene oxide, and monomer B (DP=b), preferably a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl or alkenyl moiety having 1 to 33 carbon atoms, where x=a+b. x is a number from 0 to 50, with the proviso that R? and R? are not both hydrogen. The isosorbide derivatives are useful as components of detergent, cleanser, cosmetic and agricultural compositions.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing ethylene oxide, comprising (a) cracking an ethane-comprising feed in a cracking zone under cracking conditions to obtain olefins including at least ethylene and hydrogen; (b) converting an oxygenate feedstock in an oxygenate-to-olefin zone to obtain olefins, including at least ethylene; providing at least part of the ethylene obtained in step (a) and /or (b) to an ethylene oxidation zone together with a feed containing oxygen and oxidizing ethylene to obtain at least ethylene oxide and carbon dioxide. At least part of the oxygenate feedstock is obtained by providing carbon dioxide obtained in step (c) and a feed containing hydrogen to an oxygenate synthesis zone and synthesizing oxygenates, which feed containing hydrogen comprises hydrogen obtained in step (a).

Abstract: The present invention provides a new bis(tetrahydrofuran) compound having an excellent neurotrophic factor activity-enhancing effect, and a process for producing the same. The bis(tetrahydrofuran) compound of the present invention is represented by formula (1): wherein R1 and R2 are the same or different, and represent a C1-4 alkyl group, a C1-5 alkoxy group, an aryl C1-5 alkoxy group, a C2-5 alkenyloxy group, or an aryl C2-5 alkenyloxy group, or R1 and R2 together represent ?O or ?CH2; R3 represents a hydrogen atom or a group —CH2—O—R4; R4 represents a C1-4 alkyl group, a C1-5 alkylcarbonyl group, or an aryl C1-4 alkyl group that may have a substituent on an aryl ring; and a carbon-carbon bond between “a” and “b” represents a single bond or a double bond. The bis(tetrahydrofuran) compound has an excellent neurotrophic factor activity-enhancing effect.

Abstract: The present invention provides a reactor system comprising: —one or more purification zones comprising an absorbent which comprises silver, an alkali or alkaline earth metal, and a support material having a surface area of more than 20 m2/g, and —a reaction zone comprising a catalyst, which reaction zone is positioned downstream from the one or more purification zones; an absorbent; a process for reacting a feed comprising one or more feed components; and a process for preparing a 1,2-diol, a 1,2-diol ether, a 1,2-carbonate, or an alkanolamine.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a trimellitic anhydride aryl ester in an efficient, high-yielding manner, wherein carboxylic acid lithium salt is used as a catalyst when a carboxylic acid aryl ester and trimellitic anhydride are caused to undergo an ester exchange reaction to manufacture a trimellitic anhydride aryl ester.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the catalytic halogenation of an organic compound comprising at least one vicinal diol moiety, said process comprising a step of bringing the organic compound comprising at least one vicinal diol moiety into contact with a hydrogen halide in the presence of a catalyst, characterized in that the catalyst is an organic compound comprising a ?-diketone moiety or a ?-keto aldehyde moiety.

Abstract: A process for the production of an olefin oxide, which process comprises reacting a feed comprising an olefin and oxygen in a reactor tube in the presence of a silver-containing catalyst, wherein the presence of water in the catalyst bed is controlled such that the ratio of the partial pressure of water (PPH2O) divided by the vapor pressure of water (VPH2O) is less than 0.006, preferably less than 0.004.

Abstract: A process for preparing shaped catalyst bodies whose active composition is a multielement oxide, in which a finely divided precursor mixture with addition of graphite having a specific particle size is shaped to the desired geometry and then treated thermally.

Abstract: A process is provided for preparing a carrier which process comprises incorporating into the carrier at any stage of the carrier preparation a strength-enhancing additive. Also provided is the resultant carrier having incorporated therein a strength-enhancing additive and a catalyst comprising the carrier. Also provided is a process for the epoxidation of an olefin employing the catalyst. Also provided is a method of using the olefin oxide so produced for making a 1,2-diol, a 1,2-diol ether or an alkanolamine.

Abstract: Provided is a method of efficiently producing an epoxy compound from an allyl ether having an aromatic ring under mild conditions by using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent without using an organic solvent. The method of producing an epoxy compound comprises reacting an allyl ether having an aromatic ring with hydrogen peroxide to epoxidize a carbon-carbon double bond of an allyl group to thereby produce a corresponding epoxy compound having an aromatic ring, wherein water only is used as a solvent without using an organic solvent, and a tungsten compound, and a tertiary amine and/or a quaternary ammonium salt, are used as a reaction catalyst.

Abstract: A process for the epoxidation of an olefin comprising contacting a reactor feed comprising an olefin, oxygen, and carbon dioxide, with a catalyst comprising a carrier and, deposited on the carrier, silver, a rhenium promoter, a first co-promoter, and a second co-promoter; wherein the carbon dioxide is present in the reactor feed in a quantity of at most 3 mole percent based on the total epoxidation reactor feed; the first co-promoter is selected from sulfur, phosphorus, boron, and mixtures thereof; and the second co-promoter is selected from tungsten, molybdenum, chromium, and mixtures thereof; a process for preparing a 1,2-diol, a 1,2-diol ether, a 1,2-carbonate, or an alkanolamine.

Abstract: The subject of the present invention is a method for the reactive vaporization of aqueous solutions of glycerol in a fluidized bed containing a reactive solid. The method of the invention makes it possible to simultaneously vaporize an aqueous solution of glycerol, to remove the impurities that are present in this solution or that are generated during the evaporation, and to carry out the dehydration reaction of the glycerol to acrolein and/or the oxydehydration reaction of the glycerol to acrylic acid.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the production of trifluoromethylated unsubstituted or substituted aryl or heteroaryl compounds which comprises reacting an unsubstituted or substituted aryl or heteroaryl halide with a trifluoroacetate of formula (I) or (II), wherein R1 is hydrogen or a C1-C5 alkyl group and M an alkali metal or an ammonium ion, in the presence of and an anorganic halogenide salt or a trifluoroacetacid salt as activator compound and a catalytic combination of a copper salt with a monodentate, bidentate or tridentate aromatic or aliphatic amine or pyridine ligand.

Abstract: A process for recovering solid reaction products during partial oxidation of hydrocarbons in a liquid solvent as a reaction medium by multi-stage evaporative crystallization includes determining a final temperature of the multi-stage evaporative crystallization based on a melting point of the solvent. The pressure and temperature of the solvent is reduced in steps via successive crystallization stages until the final temperature is reached. Each of the crystallization stages includes a compressor configured to perform the reducing of the pressure and to withdraw vapors formed. The vapors from the compressor of a lower expansion pressure crystallization stage are introduced into a vapor discharge conduit of a next successive higher expansion pressure crystallization stage upstream of the compressor of the higher expansion pressure crystallization stage.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process comprising reacting ethylene and oxygen or a source of oxygen in a process microchannel in the presence of a catalyst to form a product comprising ethylene oxide.

Abstract: The present invention provides one or more embodiments of a process for the epoxidation of an olefin. For the embodiments, the process includes reacting the olefin, with the proviso that the olefin is not propylene, with a hydrogen peroxide solution at a predetermined pH in the presence of a catalyst and a solvent at a predetermined reaction temperature. The pH of the hydrogen peroxide solution is adjusted to the predetermined pH by contacting the hydrogen peroxide solution with a supported base to remove acidic species from the hydrogen peroxide solution.

Abstract: Processes for producing furfural from biomass are provided. The processes use a metal halide in aqueous solutions of water-miscible and can provide a furfural yield of greater than 70%.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for the purification of a prostaglandin by supercritical fluid chromatography, said method comprising the use of a stationary phase and a mobile phase comprising carbon dioxide, provided that when the stationary phase is unmodified silica gel, the prostaglandin is not luprostiol. The invention also provides prostaglandins obtainable by the method.

Abstract: Methods of performing cycloadditions are described that include (a) combining a first reactant and a second reactant in a hydrogen bonding solvent to form a reaction mixture; and (b) reacting the first reactant and the second reactant to form a cycloadduct. Methods of performing asymmetric catalytic reactions are also described that include (a) combining a first reactant, a second reactant, and a catalytic amount of a chiral hydrogen-bond donor in a solvent to form a reaction mixture; and (b) reacting the first reactant and the second reactant to form an enantiomeric excess of a reaction product. Reaction mixtures corresponding to these methods are also described.