Abstract: To provide a novel agent for ameliorating a skin symptom such as pigmented macules or ephelides, a novel hair growth agent, and a novel slimming agent. The agent for ameliorating a skin symptom, the hair growth agent, or the slimming agent contains a dopamine agonist as an active ingredient, in which the skin symptom is selected from pigmented macules, periorbital dark circles, darkish skin, black darkish skin, moles, ephelides, birth marks, and seborrheic keratosis.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel method of hydrogenating a phenol for hydrogenating a phenol industrially advantageously. The present invention relates, in the case of phenol hydrogenation in which carbon dioxide is made to participate in the reaction, to a method of hydrogenating a phenol characterized by using a supported rhodium and/or ruthenium catalyst, whereby the phenol is hydrogenated efficiently at a lower reaction temperature than with prior art; such a method characterized in that carbon dioxide having a temperature of 20 to 250° C. and a pressure of 0.1 to 50 MPa is used as the carbon dioxide; and such a method characterized in that hydrogen under conditions of a temperature of 20 to 250° C. and a pressure of 0.1 to 50 MPa is used. An environmentally friendly phenol hydrogenation process that uses no harmful organic solvents can be realized.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel method of hydrogenating a phenol for hydrogenating a phenol industrially advantageously. The present invention relates, in the case of phenol hydrogenation in which carbon dioxide is made to participate in the reaction, to a method of hydrogenating a phenol characterized by using a supported rhodium and/or ruthenium catalyst, whereby the phenol is hydrogenated efficiently at a lower reaction temperature than with prior art; such a method characterized in that carbon dioxide having a temperature of 20 to 250° C. and a pressure of 0.1 to 50 MPa is used as the carbon dioxide; and such a method characterized in that hydrogen under conditions of a temperature of 20 to 250° C. and a pressure of 0.1 to 50 MPa is used. An environmentally friendly phenol hydrogenation process that uses no harmful organic solvents can be realized.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an efficient method of continuously producing a lactam in high-temperature high-pressure water, and the present invention relates to a method of producing a lactam characterized by efficiently synthesizing the lactam while suppressing oxime hydrolysis by introducing an oxime as a reaction substrate and an acid into a reaction zone through which high-temperature high-pressure water is flowing, or introducing an oxime into flowing high-temperature high-pressure water containing an acid, thus raising the temperature of the reaction substrate to put the reaction substrate into a prescribed high-temperature high-pressure state within a short time and subjecting the reaction substrate to reaction; through the method, the lactam can be efficiently and continuously synthesized at a high rate from the oxime using an acid catalyst in water at a high temperature of at least 250° C. and a high pressure of at least 15 MPa.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for introducing an amino group into an organic acid or an organic ester by reacting an organic salt or an organic ester and ammonia under high-temperature and high-pressure water conditions, a method for synthesizing an amino acid or an amino ester by the above method, and a method for manufacturing an amino acid compound by synthesizing an amino acid or an amino ester by the above method and separating and refining it with an ion exchange resin.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of continuously producing a lactam in high-temperature high-pressure water, and the present invention relates to a method for producing a lactam characterized by selectively synthesizing the lactam without bringing about hydrolysis by introducing an oxime into flowing high-temperature high-pressure water, wherein the lactam is continuously synthesized at a high rate from the oxime in water at a high temperature of at least 250° C. and a high pressure of at least 12 MPa.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for synthesizing ?-lactams and a method for manufacturing ?-lactams in water of high-temperature and under high-pressure, and the present invention relates to a ?-lactam synthesis method which is characterized in that ?-lactams are synthesized by reacting ?-amino acids in water at high-temperature and under high-pressure, this method being further characterized in that ?-lactams are synthesized at a high speed by cyclizing ?-amino acids in water at high-temperature and under high-pressure in which the temperature range is 200° C. or higher and the pressure range is 10 MPa or greater, and the present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing ?-lactams which is characterized in that ?-lactams are synthesized by reacting ?-amino acids in water at high-temperature and under high-pressure, and are then separated and purified using a column separation medium.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for the production of a high-temperature high-pressure fluid which can be caused to reach specified conditions in a short time, a high-temperature high-pressure reaction method, and a reaction system for the same, and the present invention comprises a method for the production of a high-temperature high-pressure fluid in which the reactants can be caused to reach a prescribed temperature in 5 seconds or less by mixing two or more high-pressure fluids at different temperatures in a flow system, a high-temperature high-pressure reaction method which utilizes this production method of a high-temperature high-pressure fluid, and which reduces the temperature elevation time to the prescribed reaction temperature to 5 seconds or less by mixing a carrier fluid at a temperature higher than the prescribed reaction temperature with substrate solution(s) at a temperature of 100° C.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for introducing an amino group into an organic acid or an organic ester by reacting an organic salt or an organic ester and ammonia under high-temperature and high-pressure water conditions, a method for synthesizing an amino acid or an amino ester by the above method, and a method for manufacturing an amino acid compound by synthesizing an amino acid or an amino ester by the above method and separating and refining it with an ion exchange resin.

Abstract: A method for producing a lactam by using an organic solvent as a substrate solution, which makes it possible to introduce a high-concentration oxime into flowing high-temperature and high-pressure water, thereby allowing the high-concentration lactam to be synthesized with a high efficiency. With this method, the lactam is continuously synthesized at a high rate from the oxime under high-temperature and high-pressure water mixture conditions within a temperature range of no less than 250° C. and a pressure range of no less than 15 MPa.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an efficient method of continuously producing a lactam in high-temperature high-pressure water, and the present invention relates to a method of producing a lactam characterized by efficiently synthesizing the lactam while suppressing oxime hydrolysis by introducing an oxime as a reaction substrate and an acid into a reaction zone through which high-temperature high-pressure water is flowing, or introducing an oxime into flowing high-temperature high-pressure water containing an acid, thus raising the temperature of the reaction substrate to put the reaction substrate into a prescribed high-temperature high-pressure state within a short time and subjecting the reaction substrate to reaction; through the method, the lactam can be efficiently and continuously synthesized at a high rate from the oxime using an acid catalyst in water at a high temperature of at least 250° C. and a high pressure of at least 15 MPa.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of continuously producing a lactam in high-temperature high-pressure water, and the present invention relates to a method for producing a lactam characterized by selectively synthesizing the lactam without bringing about hydrolysis by introducing an oxime into flowing high-temperature high-pressure water, wherein the lactam is continuously synthesized at a high rate from the oxime in water at a high temperature of at least 250° C. and a high pressure of at least 12 MPa.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for introducing an amino group into an organic acid by reacting the organic acid and ammonia under high-temperature and high-pressure water conditions, a method for synthesizing an amino acid by reacting an organic acid and ammonia under high-temperature and high-pressure water conditions, and thereby introducing amino group into the organic acid to synthesize an amino acid, and a method for manufacturing an amino acid by reacting an organic acid and ammonia under high-temperature and high-pressure water conditions, thereby introducing an amino group into the organic acid to synthesize an amino acid, and then separating and refining it with an ion exchange resin.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for synthesizing &bgr;-lactams and a method for manufacturing &bgr;-lactams in water of high-temperature and under high-pressure, and the present invention relates to a &bgr;-lactam synthesis method which is characterized in that &bgr;-lactams are synthesized by reacting &bgr;-amino acids in water at high-temperature and under high-pressure, this method being further characterized in that &bgr;-lactams are synthesized at a high speed by cyclizing &bgr;-amino acids in water at high-temperature and under high-pressure in which the temperature range is 200° C. or higher and the pressure range is 10 MPa or greater, and the present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing &bgr;-lactams which is characterized in that &bgr;-lactams are synthesized by reacting &bgr;-amino acids in water at high-temperature and under high-pressure, and are then separated and purified using a column separation medium.

Abstract: A method for producing a lactam by using an organic solvent as a substrate solution, which makes it possible to introduce a high-concentration oxime into flowing high-temperature and high-pressure water, thereby allowing the high-concentration lactam to be synthesized with a high efficiency. With this method, the lactam is continuously synthesized at a high rate from the oxime under high-temperature and high-pressure water mixture conditions within a temperature range of no less than 250° C. and a pressure range of no less than 15 MPa.

Abstract: The present invention provides ice nucleating-active materials which are free from problems like corrosiveness against a device owing to the materials used and harmfulness of the materials themselves; and have a function of elevating freezing temperature of water which is effective for releasing an over-cooling state of it, and generates a method for an ice bank system exhibiting a large energy-saving effect. This invention relates to ice nucleating-active materials containing trioctahedral smectites capable of being dispersive in water as effective components, and a method for an ice bank system comprising adding the trioctahedral smectites into a liquid in the ice bank system at a concentration of at least 30 ppm and freezing it by using a freezer.

Abstract: A novel synthetic mixed-layer silicate consisting of the layers of serpentine and layers of saponite each having a specified chemical composition is proposed, which has excellent dispersibility in water to form a colloidal dispersion capable of being converted into a gel by standing to be useful as a gelating agent exhibiting thixotropy along with unique porosity characteristics which enable the use thereof as an adsorbent.

Abstract: Disclosed is a novel hydrous composite oxide of cerium (IV) and phosphorus characterized by the specified chemical composition and the unique X-ray diffractometric pattern, which is useful as an adsorbent or immobilizing agent of strontium ions in an aqueous solution such as radioactive wastes from atomic power plants. The composite oxide prepared by the precipitation reaction of a Ce (IV) salt in an aqueous solution and phosphoric acid can be imparted with an increased adsorption capacity for strontium ions when the precipitates are heat-treated under hydrothermal conditions at up to 300.degree. C. Immobilization of strontium ions adsorbed on the adsorbent can be more complete when the adsorbent bearing strontium ions is dried and subjected to a heat treatment at a temperature of 200.degree. C. or higher.

Abstract: Proposed is a novel synthetic inorganic porous material having a chemical composition of the general formula[(SiO.sub.2).sub.8 .multidot.(MO.sub.2/3).sub.a .multidot.(OH).sub.2/3a+b ].sup.b- .multidot.b/c(A.sup.c+),in which M is an ion of a divalent metal, e.g., Mg, A is a cation of an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, hydrogen or ammonium, the subscript a is a positive number of 3 to 10, b is a positive number of 0.1 to 1 and c is a positive number of 1 to 2, and characterized by a specific surface area of 100 to 800 m.sup.2 /g, average pore diameter of 2 to 8 nm, pore volume of 0.1 to 0.8 cm.sup.3 /g and cation exchange capacity of 0.1 to 1.2 meq/g. This porous material is prepared by a method comprising the steps of: (a) mixing an aqueous solution of sodium silicate and an aqueous solution of a water-soluble salt of a divalent metal M, e.g.

Abstract: There are disclosed an organophilic clay which comprises a hydroxypolyoxyethylenealkyl ammonium ion represented by the following formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 may be the same or different, and each represent a (CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n H group (where n is 2 or more, preferably 2 to 20), a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms, provided that one to three of R.sub.1 to R.sub.4 is/are a (CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n H group(s) and at least three of R.sub.1 to R.sub.4 are (CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n H group(s) and alkyl group(s),being introduced in interlayers of an expandable layer silicate, a method for preparing the same and a gellant for a high polar organic solvent.