Abstract: There is provided a method and compositions for improving the resistance to absorption of water by a porous rigid sintered and pressed block of short staple amorphous silica fiber by distributing within the pores of said block an alkylalkoxysilane or a fluoroalkylalkoxysilane which is substantially free of deleterious halide. Halide may be reduced by special purification techniques or by netralization in situ with acid scavanger.

Abstract: There is provided an improved silica filler for resins which silica filler is coated or reacted with an alkoxyepoxyterpene silane. The resins containing such filler are characterized by improved dielectric constant and dissipation factor.

Abstract: There is provided a method and composition for improving the resistance to absorption of water by a porous rigid sintered and pressed block of short staple amorphous silica fiber by distributing within the pores of said block an alkylalkoxysilane or a fluoroalkylalkoxysilane which is substantially free of deleterious halide. Halide may be reduced by special purification techniques or by neutralization in situ with an acid scavenger.

Abstract: In a process for hydrogenation, with elemental hydrogen gas in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst, of a cyclic unsaturated compound having an hydroxyl group projecting from an asymmetric center of the ring and an olefinic carbon-to-carbon double bond which when saturated in the hydrogenation process creates an additional asymmetric center in the ring, the improvement for obtaining increased stereoselectivity by increasing the addition of said hydrogen to that side of the olefin bond on the same side of the compound molecule as said hydroxyl group, comprising: conducting said hydrogenation with a nickel hydrogenation catalyst that has a substantial fraction of its reactive surfaces inactivated.The invention is particularly applicable to the hydrogenation of d-trans-piperitol to d-isomenthol.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for the stereoselective hydrogenation of .alpha.-pinene to cis-pinane in which the formation of trans-pinane is suppressed. The hydrogenation is carried out in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst, under hydrogenation conditions, wherein to obtain increased stereoselectivity, an effective amount of the reactive surfaces of the hydrogenation catalyst is inactivated with a catalyst modifier.

Abstract: This application sets forth a synthetic lavandin oil composition having a distinct and pleasant lavandin-like fragrance which comprises linalool and linalyl acetate, the major fraction of which is substantially optically inactive and a sufficient proportion of methyl n-hexyl ether for imparting said distinct and pleasant lavandin-like fragrance.