Abstract: N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) is prepared by preparing a mixture comprising monomethylamine, dimethylamine and trimethylamine and ammonia in a first process step by reacting ammonia with methanol at elevated temperature in the presence of a catalyst, separating 10 off the ammonia, reacting the mixture comprising the methylamines with gamma-butyrolactone (&ggr;-BL), in a molar ratio of monomethylamine to &ggr;-BL of at least 1 in a second process step at elevated temperature and superatmospheric pressure, separating NMP and unreacted methylamines from the reaction product and returning unreacted methylamines to the first process step for reaction with methanol and ammonia.

Abstract: Novel compounds of Formula 1 are useful to treat disorders responsive to openers of the large conductance calcium-activated potassium channels: wherein “Het” is one of a select group of heterocyclic moieties; Z is independently for each occurrence selected from O or S; Ra, Rb and Rc each are independently selected from hydrogen, halogen, OH, CF3, NO2, or provided Rc is not hydrogen; and when Ra and Rb are hydrogen, Rc may be a heterocyclic moiety selected from the group consisting of imidazol-1-yl, morpholinomethyl, N-methylimidazol-2-yl, and pyridin-2-yl; Rd and Re each are independently selected from hydrogen, halogen, CF3, NO2 or imidazol-1-yl; m, n and p each are independently selected from an integer of 0 or 1; and Rf and Rg each are independently hydrogen; C1-4 alkyl; or Rf and Rg, taken together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, is a heterocyclic moiety selected from the group consisting of N-methylpiperazine, morpholine, thiomorpholine,