Abstract: A process for improving the adherence of paint applied after thin-film anodization is characterized in that the anodized metal surfaces are brought into contact with an aqueous solution containing one or more of the following components: (a) 200 to 2000 ppm of a homopolymer or copolymer of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and/or their esters; (b) 200 to 3000 ppm of a poly(vinyl phenol) compound in which at part of the phenol rings carry an alkylamino substituent; (c) 200 to 3000 ppm of hexafluorotitanic acid, hexafluorozirconic acid, and/or their anions.

Abstract: Aliphatic polycarboxylic acids are made by a process comprising the steps of: (1) fermenting a beta-oxidation blocked C. tropicalis cell wherein both copies of the chromosomal POX5 gene and the chromosomal POX4A and POX4B genes are disrupted in a culture medium comprised of a nitrogen source, an organic substrate and a cosubstrate wherein the substrate is an unsaturated aliphatic compound having at least one internal carbon--carbon double bond and at least one terminal methyl group, a terminal carboxyl group and/or a terminal functional group which is oxidizable to a carboxyl group by biooxidation; (2) reacting the product of step (1) with an oxidizing agent to produce one or more polycarboxylic acids.

Abstract: A process for preparing high detergency or surfactant alkyl polyglycoside compositions and a purified alkyl monoglycoside and to compositions employing the polyglycosides for various end use applications. The process involves removal of a substantial portion of the monoglycoside present in a reaction product mixture containing alkyl polyglycosides resulting from the reaction of an alcohol and saccharide at elevated temperatures in the presence of an acid catalyst. Separation of the monoglycoside from the reaction product mixture may be carried out by molecular distillation.

Abstract: Process for the aftertreatment of betaine and amphoteric surfactants comprising adjusting the pH to the range of from 11 to 14 by addition of an alkali metal hydroxide, followed by a thermal aftertreatment if the surfactant contains dichloroacetic acid residues.

Abstract: Compounds of the formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 independently of one another may represent a hydrogen atom, a (C.sub.1-4) alkyl group, a hydroxy (C.sub.2-3) alkyl group, an alkoxy (C.sub.2-3) alkyl group, an amino (C.sub.2-3) alkyl group or a 2,3-dihydroxypropyl group and R.sub.5 and R.sub.6 independently of one another may represent hydrogen or a (C.sub.1-4) alkyl group, are made by reacting 2,4-dinitrohalobenzenes with 4-hydroxymethyl-1,3-dioxolanes under alkaline conditions to form 4-(2,4-dinitrophenoxymethyl)-1,3-dioxolanes, which are further reduced to the compounds of formula (I). In an alternate process, the 4-hydroxymethyl-1,3-dioxolanes are reacted with 4-halo-3-nitranilines or 2-halo-5-nitranilines, the product further reacted first under basic conditions with chloroformic acid ester followed by treatment with strong base, alkylation or alkoxylation, reduction, and optionally further alkylation of alkoxylation to arrive at the compounds (I).

Abstract: A reaction adhesive becomes porous after hardening. This allows both small and larger gaps to be sealed between the bonded substrates, as the liquid adhesive has a low to medium viscosity and the hardened glue shows a marked volume increase. Reaction adhesives based on (meth)acrylates and that contain azo-bis-isobutyronitrile as initiator and expanding agent are preferably used. The disclosed reaction adhesive is preferably used for gluing reactive coils.

Abstract: A linear polyester is made by a process reacting polyols comprising at least two primary alcohol groups and at least one secondary alcohol or amino group and a dicarboxylic acid or a dicarboxylic acid ester in the presence of an effective amount of a lipase derived from Candida cylindracea, Candida lipolytica, Candida rugosa, Candida antarctica, Candida utilis, Chromobacterium viscosum, Geotrichum viscosum, Geotrichum candidum, Mucor javanicus, Mucor miehei, Porcine pancreas, Pseudomonas species, specifically Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas cepacia, Pseudomonas pseudoalkaligenes, Pseudomonas alkaligenes, Thermomyces species, Rhizopus arrhizus, Rhizopus delemar, Rhizopus niveus, Rhizopus oryzae, Rhizopus javanicus, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium roquefortii, Penicillium camembertii or an esterase derived from Bacillus species, specifically Bacillus thermoglucosidasius; Mucor miehei, Horse liver, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pigs liver or combinations thereof.

Abstract: An aqueous thickener composition containing an organic water-dispersible or water-soluble polymeric thickener and a viscosity reducer comprising a compound corresponding to formula (1):R.sup.1 --O--(R.sup.2 --O).sub.n --H (1)in whichR.sup.1 is an aliphatic hydrocarbon radical containing 8 carbon atoms,R.sup.2 represents an alkylene radical containing 2 to 4 carbon atoms, andn is an integer of 3 to 7.

Abstract: The invention concerns aqueous surfactant concentrates having a solids content of between 35 and 65 wt % and containing (a1) alkyl oligoglycosides and/or alkenyl oligoglycosides; and/or (a2) fatty acid N-alkylpolyhydroxy alkylamides; and (b) betaine, in weight ratios of (a):(b) of between 10:90 and 90:10; wherein the pH of these concentrates is between 3.5 and 6.5.

Abstract: A process for producing a particulate amorphous alkali metal silicate having a molar ratio of M.sub.2 O to SiO.sub.2 of 1:1.5 to 1:3.3 bya) spray-drying an aqueous mixture of amorphous alkali metal silicate,b) impregnating the spray-dried amorphous alkali metal silicate with an aqueous dispersion or solution of detergent composition components containing at least one organic component, andc) optionally drying the impregnated amorphous alkali metal silicate.

Abstract: Transport- and storage-stable paste-form detergents based on sodium hydroxide that are easily processed and handled are obtained by thickening concentrated aqueous sodium hydroxide preparations with glycols, glycol derivatives, alkanolamines, or alkanolamine derivatives. The detergents also can contain builders and other typical detergent composition ingredients.

Abstract: Defects in an initial protective coating, particularly a conversion coating, on a metal substrate can be touched up so as to at least equal the original coating in corrosion protection by use of a dry-in-place aqueous acidic liquid comprising:(A) fluorometallate anions;(B) divalent or tetravalent cations of elements selected from the group consisting of cobalt, magnesium, manganese, zinc, nickel, tin, copper, zirconium, iron, and strontium;(C) a component selected from the group consisting of phosphorus-containing inorganic oxyanions and phosphonate anions; and(D) a component of water-soluble and/or -dispersible organic polymers and/or polymer-forming resins.

Abstract: A continuous process for the production of polycarboxylic acids or salts thereof from polysaccharides involving contacting a polysaccharide with an oxidizing agent selected from the group consisting of nitrogen dioxide, dinitrogen tetroxide, or an equilibrium mixture thereof in the absence of oxygen at a temperature above 80 .degree.C. and at a pressure of from about 3 bar to about 15 bar absolute and for a tirne period of from about 1 to about 30 minutes to form a reducd gaseous product and a polysaccharide product wherein the primary alcohol groups of said polysaccharide product are at least partially converted to carboxyl groups.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method applied in combustion engines having two spark plugs in each combustion chamber for controlling ignition and ionization current measurements, one of the spark plugs acting as a sensor for the ionization current measurements. The ignition voltage supplied to each of the spark plugs in a chamber is controlled such that the spark duration of the spark plug acting as the sensor is less than 50% of the other spark plug in the chamber.

Abstract: Cross-linked cationic polymers are prepared by alkylating a polyaminoalide with 5 to 30 mole percent, relative to the amount of nitrogen available for alkylation, of a quaternary ammonium alkylating agent and cross-linking the resulting alkylated polyaninoamide with a molar amount of epichlorohydrin corresponding to the non-quaternized nitrogen content. The cross-linked cationic polymers are suitable for use as wet-strength resins in the treatment of paper.

Abstract: A process for producing alkyl oligoglucosides having a high degree of polymerization involving: (a) providing a fatty alcohol; (b) providing a glucose component; (c) mixing the fatty alcohol and glucose component; (d) acetylizing the reaction mixture by adding an acid catalyst to the mixture; (e) continuously distilling off water from the reaction mixture during acetylization; (f) neutralizing the acid catalyst upon completion of acetylization; (g) removing unreacted fatty alcohol from the reaction mixture; (h) post-polymerizing the reaction mixture to form a final alkyl oligoglucoside product; and (i) neutralizing any remaining acid catalyst and removing any unreacted fatty alcohol from the reaction mixture.

Abstract: A terpene-free hard surface cleaning composition containing: (a) a nonionic surfactant; (b) an anionic surfactant; (c) a primary solvent consisting of a C.sub.6 -C.sub.14 methyl ester; (d) a short-chain cosurfactant; and (e) water, all weights being based on the total weight of the composition.

Abstract: Surfactant mixtures providing improved dermal compatibility and foam stability contain(a) monoglyceride sulfates or monoglyceride ether sulfates, and(b) sugar surfactants selected from(b1) sucrose esters,(b2) sorbitan esters, and(b3) polysorbates, with the proviso that the ratio by weight of component (a) to component (b) is 75:25 to 50:50.

Abstract: An aqueous liquid chromate free composition for forming a protective coating on metals, particularly aluminum, is made by reacting cobalt(II) cations, carboxylate anions, at least one other type of coordinate complexing agent for cobalt(III) cations, and an oxidizing agent in an aqueous solution in which the molar ratio of carboxylate anions to cobalt(II) cations is from 0.10 to 6.8 and the aqueous solution contains no more than 1% of each of ammonia, ammonium ions, and nitrite ions.

Abstract: A process is provided for preparing a dispersion of a polyamide in water, said process comprising:forming a solution of a polyamide having an acid value of greater than about 2 in an organic solvent to form a solution of said polyamide in said solvent, said polyamide and said solvent being at a temperature below the softening point of said polyamide during said dissolving, said solution further comprising a surfactant, wherein at least a portion of the acid value of said polyamide is neutralized,adding sufficient water to said solution with mixing to form an oil-in-water dispersion, the temperature of said solution and said water being below the softening point of said polyamide during said adding, andremoving at least a major amount of said organic solvent from said oil-in-water dispersion. The resulting dispersion is useful in preparing a coating of the polyamide, which coating is useful as an adhesive.