Abstract: An L-proline derivative represented by: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.2 represents a lower alkyl group is prepared by reacting L-proline with a D-.alpha.-alkyl-.beta.-acylthiopropionic acid halide, ##STR2## wherein R.sub.1 represents an acyl group, X represents a halogen atom and R.sub.2 has the same meaning as defined above. The halide is added to an aqueous medium containing L-proline and a condensation agent for deacidification. The halide and L-proline are reacted while the reaction temperature and pH are maintained at 12.degree. C. or lower and within a range of 10.5-11.5, whereby a compound represented by: ##STR3## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 have the same meanings as defined above is obtained. The resulting compound is then subjected to deacylation under strong alkaline conditions without being isolated from the reaction mixture, thereby yielding the target L-proline derivative.

Abstract: Disclosed are shaped articles having a coating layer formed on surface region, wherein the surface region is formed of a polymer derived from a multifunctional acrylic monomer and having 0.02 to 0.2 .mu.mol/cm.sup.2 of acidic groups therein, by curing a coating composition consisting essentially of a specific silica polycondensate. The silica polycondensate is obtained by mixing (I) colloidal silica and (II) a specific silicon compound in such a molar ratio that the average number of hydrolyzable groups is within the range of 2.30 to 3.85, and then subjecting them to cohydrolysis and polycondensation. In these shaped articles, the coating layer have excellent properties such as hardness and abrasion resistance, as well as good adhesion.

Abstract: Disclosed is a coating composition comprising(A) 5 to 60 parts by weight, on a solid basis, of colloidal silica,(B) 5 to 70 parts by weight of a hydrolyzate and/or hydrolyzed and partially condensed product of a compound of the general formula ##STR1## (C) 10 to 80 parts by weight of a polyfunctional monomer containing a monomer of the general formula ##STR2## and (D) 0.01 to 5 parts by weight of a photopolymerization initiator containing a compound of the general formula ##STR3## provided that the combined amount of components (A), (B), (C) and (D) is 100 parts by weight.This coating composition can be cured in air by exposure to ultraviolet light, and the resulting cured film is excellent in various properties (such as abrasion resistance) and adhesion to the substrate.

Abstract: A distillation process is used to separate methanol from a mixture of methanol with methyl acrylate or methyl methacrylate, as well as from a mixture of methanol and water with methyl acrylate or methyl methacrylate with the use of an azeotropic solvent, which forms an azeotropic mixture with methanol. In distilling such a mixture by the use of a distillation column:(1) part of the condensate of vapors distilled over from the top of the distillation column top is returned to the top of the column;(2) the remaining condensate is separated into two layers;(3) the upper layer essentially composed of an azeotropic solvent from the two separated layers is fed to an intermediate portion of the distillation column;(4) the lower layer essentially composed of methanol from the above two separated layers is withdrawn from the distillation system; and(5) methyl acrylate or methyl methacrylate, or else, methyl acrylate or methyl methacrylate and water, are recovered from the bottom of the column.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a shaped material consisting of a layer having open microvoids (hereinafter referred to as light-scattering layer) and a layer having a hue different from that of the light-scattering layer (hereinafter referred to as color-developing layer), the light-scattering layer constituting at least part of the outer surface of the shaped material and the color-developing layer constituting the rest of the shaped material, which shaped material changes its color reversibly depending upon its moist or dry condition, as well as to a process for producing said shaped material.

Abstract: A maleimide copolymer which consists essentially of greater than 28% by weight and less than or equal to 65% by weight of a maleimide monomer unit, greater than or equal to 16% by weight and less than 72% by weight of at least one monomer unit selected from the group consisting of aromatic vinyl compound monomer units and methacrylate monomer units, and 0-25% by weight of another vinyl compound monomer unit and which contains 0.1% by weight or less of the residual maleimide monomer and 0.5% by weight or less of volatile components other than the maleimide monomer and which has a ratio (Mw/Mn) of a weight average molecular weight Mw to a number average molecular weight Mn of 3 or less, a yellowness index of 30 or less and an intrinsic viscosity of from 0.3 to 1.5. The maleimide copolymer of the present invention is excellent in heat resistance, transparency, chemical resistance, impact resistance, moldability and the like.

Abstract: When a catalyst for producing methacrylic acid is prepared by shaping a catalyst component represented by the general formula P.sub.a Mo.sub.b V.sub.c X.sub.d Y.sub.e Z.sub.f O.sub.g wherein P, Mo, V, X, Y, Z, a, b, c, d, e, f and g are as defined in the specification, a catalyst capable of giving methacrylic acid in high yield is provided by adding one or more organic high-molecular weight compounds with an average particle size of 0.01-10 .mu.m, and carrying out heat treatment before use as a catalyst.

Abstract: A method of preparing a catalyst used for producing methacrylic acids through gas phase catalytic oxidation of methacrolein with molecular oxygen. The catalyst is represented by the formula:P.sub.a Mo.sub.b V.sub.c Ge.sub.d X.sub.e Y.sub.f Z.sub.g O.sub.hwherein P, Mo, V, Ge and O represent phosphorous, molybdenum, vanadium, germanium and oxygen, respectively; X represents at least one element selected from the group consisting of arsenic, antimony, bismuth, zirconium, tellurium, silver and boron; Y represents at lest one element selected from the group consisting of iron, copper, zinc, chromium, magnesium, tantalum, manganese, barium, gallium, cerium and lanthanum; Z represents at least one element selected from the group consisting of potassium, rubidium, cesium and thallium, and a, b, c, d, e, f, g and h represent the atomic ratios of the respective elements, and when b=12, then a=0.5-3, c=0.01-3, d=0.01-3, e=0-3, f=0-3, g=0.

Abstract: Acrylic fiber comprising an acrylonitrile-based copolymer comprising 96.0 to 98.5% by weight of acrylonitrile units, 1.0 to 3.5% by weight of acrylamide units and 0.5% by weight or more of methacrylic acid units, the percentage by weight (A) of acrylamide units and the percentage by weight (M) of methacrylic acid units in the copolymer satisfying the following equations (I) and (II), and adsorbed iodine in an amount of 1% by weight or less based on the weight of the copolymer:X=0.21 to 0.23 (I)M+A.sup.x =1.82 to 2.18 (II)A copolymer having the above-mentioned composition is spun by a wet process, while adjusting the modulus in tension of coagulated fiber to approximately 2.0-3.0 g/d, wherein d means denier in terms of the weight of polymer in the coagulated fiber. There is provided acrylic fiber which permits production of carbon fiber with a high tensile strength and a high tensile modulus by pyrolysis for a shorter time.

Abstract: A resin composition for toners, composed essentially of a suspension polymerizate of:(a) 5 to 40% by weight per total polymer of a polyester comprising at least one aromatic diol component an at least one aliphatic diol component, and having a weight average molecular weight of 3,000 to 30,000, an acid value of 0.5 to 10 mgKOH/g, and an OH value of 10 to 60 mgKOH/g;(b) 60 to 95% by weight per total polymer of a vinyl monomer; and(c) 0.1 to 1.0% by weight per total polymer of a divinyl monomer,wherein said suspension polymerizate hasa glass transition temperature of 40.degree. to 70.degree. C.,an acid value of 0.1 to 10 mgKOH/g, anda softening temperature of 100.degree. to 160.degree. C.

Abstract: Disclosed is a hydrophobic porous membrane with a polymer having fluorinated alkyl side chains held in physical contact with the surface of a polyolefin porous membrane in which the fluorinated alkyl side chains of the polymer are crystallized, as well as its manufacturing process. Also disclosed is a hydrophobic porous membrane with a fluorinated crosslinked polymer from a fluorinated monomer with a fluorinated alkyl side chain and a crosslinking monomer held in physical contact with the surface of a polyolefin porous membrane, in which the fluorinated alkyl side chains of the fluorinated crosslinked polymer are crystallized, as well as its manufacturing process. These porous membranes use polyolefin porous membranes having a higher mechanical strength and lower costs than the fluorinated polymer porous membranes and still provide superior hydrophobicity over polytetrafluoroethylene type membranes.

Abstract: Disclosed is a composite composition consisting essentially of a silica polycondensate (A) formed by hydrolysis and polycondensation of one or more alkoxysilane compounds, and a polymer (B) of a radical-polymerizable vinyl compound (B') composed chiefly of at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylic esters and methacrylic esters, the silica polycondensate (A) and the polymer (B) of the vinyl compound (B') being intermingled homogeneously. This composite composition is produced by dissolving the silica polycondensate (A) in the vinyl compound (B') and effecting radical polymerization of the vinyl compound (B'). This composite composition has high transparency, rigidity, toughness and thermal resistance and is hence useful in fields of application where inorganic glass has heretofore been used.

Abstract: A polyorganosiloxane graft copolymer obtained by graft-polymerizing one or more kinds of monomer which have an ethylenically unsaturated bond and contain at least an epoxy group-containing vinyl monomer onto a compound rubber in which a polyorganosiloxane rubber and a polyalkyl (meth)acrylate rubber have been inseparably united with each other, and in which the component derived from the epoxy group-containing vinyl monomer occupies a proportion of 1 to 30 wt. % of the whole graft copolymer. This polyorganosiloxane graft copolymer is excellent in impact resistance, low-temperature characteristics and weather resistance, and also excellent in the bond strength to paint film applied thereto. This graft copolymer is also useful as adhesives, and particularly it exhibits excellent adhesion performance in depositing aromatic polymers such as polyesters (e.g. polyethylene terephthalate), polyphenylene oxides, polyphenylene sulfides, etc.

Abstract: Disclosed is a composite composition obtained by polymerizing a radical-polymerizable vinyl compound (A) in the presence of a silica polycondensate (B) formed by hydrolysis and polycondensation of at least one alkoxysilane compound in a dispersion system of colloidal silica. This composite composition has high transparency, rigidity, toughness and thermal resistance and is hence useful in applications where inorganic glass has heretofore been used.

Abstract: A polyester resin for a dye receptive layer of a recording medium for sublimation type heat-sensitive transfer recording process, and a recording medium using thereof, which has superior resistance to light exposure and dark fade out. A polyester resin for a dye receptive layer of a recording medium for sublimation type heat-sensitive transfer recording process, wherein said polyester resin is formed by using a diol component containing a diol compound shown in Formula (1) in a range of 5-80 molar % with respect to the total diol component, and a receiving medium using thereof. ##STR1## (In Formula (1), each of R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 represents an alkylene group having a number of carbon atoms within a range of 1-12.

Abstract: A random polarized light from a light source (305) can be changed into a linear polarized light by using a polarization beam splitter (303), a transmitting means (304) for rotating a plane of polarization at 90.degree., reflectors (308) and a first prism formed plate (302). Further, a beam width of the linear polarized light thus obtained can be reduced by using a reflecting surface (307) and a second prism formed plate (301).

Abstract: A photopolymerizable or radiation polymerizable alkaline developing crosslinking curable resin composition possessing superior antiplating properties and a short stripping period, in which the stripped plate is not easily dissolved in the stripping fluid, and which is comprising:(a) 5-30 parts by weight of at least one compound possessing in one molecule on the average 1.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for producing a multicomponent catalyst containing molybdenum and bismuth and used for synthesis of unsaturated aldehydes and unsaturated carboxylic acids, characterized in that dried starting materials for the catalyst are calcinated in an atmosphere containing 1 vol % or more of a nitrogen oxide and 0.5 vol % or more of oxygen.

Abstract: Provided are biodegradable polymers each of which can be obtained by introducing pyridinium groups such as N-alkylpyridinium groups or N-arylpyridinium groups into a backbone of a synthetic polymer of a vinyl compound or olefin and then quaternizing the pyridinium groups with counter anions such as chlorine ions or bromine ions. The biodegradable polymers have high compatibility with microbial cells so that articles molded or otherwise formed from the biodegradable polymers can be easily decomposed by activated sludge or under conditions buried in the ground.

Abstract: A method for preparing a graft copolymer is here disclosed which is characterized by comprising the step of carrying out a living polymerization of at least one (meth)acrylic ester by the use of a polymeric compound as an initiator having one or more units represented by the following formula (I) in a molecular chain substantially in the absence of water in the presence of a Lewis acid or a donor compound of an anion selected from the group consisting of HF.sub.2.sup.-, (CH.sub.3).sub.3 SiF.sub.2.sup.- and F.sup.- : ##STR1## wherein R is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and R' is an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms.