Abstract: A process for producing oxiracetam (4-hydroxy-2-oxo-1-pyrrolidineacetamide) useful as an agent for improving brain metabolism, under mild conditions and in a single process is provided, this process comprises reacting glycinamide with a butyric acid ester expressed by the formula ##STR1## wherein A represents a halogen atom or an epoxy group, B represents hydroxyl group, but when A is an epoxy group, A and B together form an epoxy group, and R represents an alkyl group.

Abstract: An isomerization between 3,4-dichlorobutene-1 and 1,4-dichlorobutene-2 is carried out in the presence of a catalyst for isomerization as a combination of a copper compound and a dithiocarbamic acid derivative. The dithiocarbamic acid derivative is a compound having the formula ##STR1## wherein R and R' are the same and different and respectively represent a C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl group or an aryl group and M represents hydrogen atom or a metal atom or ammonium group and R" represents a C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl group, an aryl group or a heterocyclic group such as mercaptobenzothiazole.