Abstract: Set forth is a process for preparing acrylic acid and/or the ester of acrylic acid and lactic acid from a lactic acid oligomer or polymer. As a result of the use of a bromide source and/or a chloride source in combination with a specific acid, a process that can be operated to obtain a high yield, and is relatively easy to perform, is realized.

Abstract: A process for preparing acrylic acid and/or the ester of acrylic acid and lactic acid from a lactic acid oligomer or polymer, comprising the steps of bringing a reaction mixture comprising the lactic acid oligomer or polymer to reaction conditions to form acrylic acid and/or the ester of acrylic acid and lactic acid, the reacting mixture comprising a halide source selected from a bromide source and/or a chloride source and optionally an acid selected from the group of acids with a pKa of at most 2.0 and compounds which under reaction conditions decompose under the formation of an acid with a pKa of at most 2.0, with the reaction mixture comprising less than 1 wt. % of water, and keeping the reaction mixture under reaction conditions for a time sufficient to produce acrylic acid and/or the ester of acrylic acid and lactic acid.

Abstract: The invention provides a process for the preparation of an allyl alkyl ether comprising the allylation of an aliphatic hydroxyl containing compound with an allyl source in the presence of a catalyst, wherein the catalyst is a transition metal complex with a phosphine ligand, wherein the allylation is carried out in the presence of an acid in an amount of at least 0.1 mol % calculated on the aliphatic hydroxyl containing compound. This invention further provides a process for the preparation of epoxy resins wherein as intermediate use is made of the allyl alkyl ethers prepared by the process of the invention.

Abstract: Coating for an offset paper comprising a catalyst for fixing polymerisable or crosslinkable constituents of the offset ink. The chemical drying time can be substantially reduced if such a catalyst system is added to the coating, wherein preferentially such a catalyst is a transition metal complex/salt, like Mn (2-ethylhexanoate, bpy).