Abstract: The invention provides a process for the hydrogenation of a reactant selected from the group consisting of: (a) a 5- or 6-membered lactone that is substituted at the ring-closing carbon atom and has a proton at a carbon atom adjacent to the ring-closing carbon atom; (b) an ester of a carboxylic acid having a gamma-carbonyl group and a proton at a carbon atom adjacent to the carbon atom of the carbonyl group; and (c) a carboxylic acid having a gamma-carbonyl group and a proton at a carbon atom adjacent to the carbon atom of the carbonyl group, wherein the reactant is contacted with a strongly acidic heterogeneous catalyst comprising a hydrogenating metal, in the presence of hydrogen, at a temperature in the range of from 100 to 350° C. and a pressure in the range of from 1 to 150 bar (absolute). The invention further provides a fuel composition, preferably a diesel composition, comprising di-alkyl 4-methylnonanedioate or di-alkyl 3-ethyl-4-methylheptanedioate.

Abstract: Process for the oligomerization of one or more olefinically unsaturated monomers comprising three or more carbon atoms, at least one of these monomers consisting of a C3 to C30 aliphatic mono-olefin, which process comprises reacting the olefinically unsaturated monomer(s) under oligomerization conditions in the presence of an effective amount of a catalyst system based on (a) a specific titanium bisamide compound or its dimer; (b) one or more activating cocatalysts comprising at least one boron atom; and optionally, but in any event if the titanium bisamide compound or its dimer comprise halogen: (c) one or more aluminium alkyls or alumoxanes. A mixture of homo-oligomers of propylene is provided by the above process, which mixture comprises oligomers of propylene based on up to 20 propylene molecules, wherein at least 50 mole % of the oligomer chains have a terminal vinyl group.