Abstract: Caprolactam is obtained in high yield and in short reaction time by completely dissolving 6-aminocaproic acid in methanol or ethanol and heating the solution at 170.degree.-200.degree. C.

Abstract: Pentafluorosulfur hypochlorite, SF.sub.5 OCl, and its preparation by reacting thionyl tetrafluoride, SOF.sub.4, or a salt thereof, with an inorganic reagent containing a chlorine atom in a +1 oxidation state which chlorine atom is attached to a more electronegative element. When SOF.sub.4 is employed, it is necessary to use a catalyst for the reaction selected from the group consisting of LiF, NaF, KF, RbF and CsF. Pentafluorosulfur hypochlorite is useful as a polymerization initiator and is a valuable intermediate for the synthesis of other useful compounds.

Abstract: A method for determining strain amplitudes in each component, during cyclic straining of a 2-component structure in which at least one component shows non-linear viscoelastic behavior. The heat generation rates of each component are determined experimentally, at various temperatures, as functions of the experimentally imposed strain amplitudes. These functions are used to solve, by computer, a heat balance equation involving temperature values through the structure. To find pairs of strain amplitudes which produce observed temperatures, the value of strain amplitude entering into the equations for one component is varied (for each value of a set of strain amplitudes of the other component) until the temperature at a selected point of the structure, thus calculated, matches the temperature determined experimentally; and likewise for a second selected point. The desired pair of strain amplitudes is thus identified as being a pair which produces a match of calculated vs.