Abstract: A C4-olefin mixture having a 1,3-butadiene content of from 100 to 500 ppm and a content of 1,2-dienes of less than 10 ppm is described. The present invention further provides a process for preparing this C4-olefin mixture and provides for its use in a metathesis reaction for preparing 2-pentene and/or 3-hexene.

Abstract: A C4-olefin mixture having a 1,3-butadiene content of from 100 to 500 ppm and a content of 1,2-dienes of less than 10 ppm is described. The present invention further provides a process for preparing this C4-olefin mixture and provides for its use in a metathesis reaction for preparing 2-pentene and/or 3-hexene.

Abstract: A C4-olefin mixture having a 1,3-butadiene content of from 100 to 500 ppm and a content of 1,2-dienes of less than 10 ppm is described. The present invention further provides a process for preparing this C4-olefin mixture and provides for its use in a metathesis reaction for preparing 2-pentene and/or 3-hexene.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for preparing polyol alkyl ethers by reacting compounds comprising at least three hydroxyl functionalities with olefins in the presence of acidic catalysts at temperatures of from 20 to 250° C. and pressures of from 0.5 to 10 bar, wherein the olefins correspond to the general formula (I) in which R1 is hydrogen and R2 is a linear or branched carbon radical having from 7 to 28 carbon atoms, or R1 and R2 are each linear or branched carbon radicals having from 1 to 27 carbon atoms, the sum of the carbon number of R1 and R2 being at most 28, to polyol alkyl ethers derived from compounds having at least three hydroxyl functionalities, not more than all but one hydroxyl functionality being replaced by a moiety of the general formula (VIII) to the use of these polyol alkyl ethers as surfactants and to laundry detergents and cleaning compositions comprising these polyol alkyl ethers.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparing formic acid, in which catalytic hydrogenation of carbon dioxide with hydrogen over a catalyst which comprises a metal of groups 8 to 10 of the Periodic Table in the presence of a primary, secondary and/or tertiary amine generates the corresponding ammonium formate and the ammonium formate is split by heating into formic acid and the amine, which comprises selecting the primary, secondary or tertiary amine from the amines of the formula I or mixtures thereof where R1 to R3 are the same or different and are each hydrogen, linear or branched alkyl radicals having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms, cycloaliphatic radicals having from 5 to 7 carbon atoms, aryl radicals and/or arylalkyl radicals, and at least one of the R1 to R3 radicals bears a hydroxyl group, and performing the hydrogenation in a solvent which has a boiling point of 105° C.

Abstract: Preparation of highly reactive isobutene homo- or copolymers with Mn=from 500 to 1 000 000 by polymerizing isobutene from technical C4 hydrocarbon streams having an isobutene content of from 1 to 90% by weight in the liquid phase in the presence of a dissolved, dispersed or supported catalyst complex, by using, as the catalyst complex, a protic acid compound I [H+]kYk?.Lx ??(I) Yk? weakly coordinating k-valent anion which comprises at least one hydrocarbon moiety, L neutral solvent molecules and x?0.

Abstract: A process for continuously preparing a compound which bears at least two functional groups which are each independently selected from the group consisting of nitrile group, carboxylic acid group, carboxylic ester group and carboxamide group.

Abstract: The invention describes a process for the preparation of novel surfactant alcohols and surfactant alcohol ethers by derivatization of olefins having from about 10 to 20 carbon atoms or of mixtures of such olefins to give alkanols, and optional subsequent alkoxylation, which comprises subjecting a C4-olefin mixture to metathesis, dimerizing the resulting olefins, and then derivatizing them to give surfactant alcohols, and optionally alkoxylating said alcohols. The olefin mixture obtained in the dimerization has a high proportion of branched components and less than 10% by weight of compounds which contain a vinylidene group. invention further describes the use of the surfactant alcohols and surfactant alcohol ethers to give surfactants by glycosylation or polyglycosylation, sulfation or phosphation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing dialdehydes and/or ethylenically unsaturated monoaldehydes by reacting at least one compound with at least two ethylenically unsaturated double bonds with carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the presence of a hydroformylating catalyst with at least one complex of a metal of subgroup VIII. The subgroup comprises at least pnicogen chelate ligands.

Abstract: A process for the separation of palladium from solvent-free at room temperature solid crude reaction mixtures comprising aryl acetic acids of the general formula (I), wherein Z means phenyl, napht-2-yl, 9H-fluoren-2-yl, substituted carbazol-2-yl, benzoxazol-5-yl, either of which can be substituted with H, C1-C8-alkyl optionally cyclic and optionally substituted with —F or —Cl, C6-C10-aryl optionally substituted with F or Cl OR4, COR5, F, —Cl; optionally substituted pyrrolyl or dehydropyrrolyl or 1-oxo-1,3-dehydro-isoindol 2-yl; R1 means H or C1-C4-alkyl; R2, R3, R4, R5 mean independently of each other H, C1-C8 alkyl, C6-C10-aryl optionally substituted with —F or Cl, or thiophenyl; which crude mixture is obtained by palladium catalyzed carbonylation, by adsorption of the palladium on solid adsorbents, characterized in that the adsorption is carried out in the absence of a reducing agent for palladium and at a temperature, where the crude reaction mixture is molten.

Abstract: A compound of formula (I) suitable as a catalyst or for the preparation of a catalyst system: L1-X-L2 ??(I) is provided, in which X is a lower alkylene group, an arylene group or an alkarylene group; L1 is in which Y1 is oxygen, sulfur or N—R17, R11, R12, R13, R14, R15, R16 and R17 independently of one another being hydrogen, alkyl or aryl; and L2 is in which Y2 is oxygen, sulfur or N—R27, R21, R22, R23, R24, R25, R26 and R27 independently of one another being hydrogen, alkyl or aryl, it being possible for L1 and L2 to be identical or different.

Abstract: A system comprising a diphosphine of the formula R1>P—(CH)n—PR2R3 where R1 is a divalent radical which together with the phosphorus atom to which it is linked forms an unsubstituted or substituted 2-phosphatricyclo[3.3.1.1{3,7}]decyl group or a derivative thereof in which one or more of the carbon atoms are replaced by heteroatoms, R2, R3 are each, independently of one another, a monovalent radical having from 1 to 20 atoms or together form a divalent radical having from 2 to 20 atoms, n is 4 or 5, and a mixture of such diphosphines, and palladium or a palladium compound is suitable as carbonylation catalyst for the carbonylation of a conjugated diene.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for preparing 1,6-hexanediol having a purity of ?99.5% by weight by catalytically dimerizing acrylic esters and catalytically hydrogenating the hexenedioic diesters obtained in this way to 1,6-hexanediol by a) dimerizing C1- to C8-acrylic esters in the presence of at least one rhodium compound to give mixtures of predominantly 2- and 3-hexenedioic diesters, b) hydrogenating the resulting dimerizing effluent in the presence of chromium-free catalysts comprising predominantly copper as the hydrogenation component and c) purifying the crude 1,6-hexanediol obtained in this way by fractional distillation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the preparation of alkylarylsulfonates by a) reaction of a C4-olefin mixture over a metathesis catalyst for the preparation of an olefin mixture comprising 2-pentene and/or 3-hexene, and optional removal of 2-pentene and/or 3-hexene, b) dimerization of the 2-pentene and/or 3-hexene obtained in stage a) over a dimerization catalyst to give a mixture containing C10-12-olefins, and optional removal of the C10-12-olefins, c) reaction of the C10-12-olefin mixtures obtained in stage b) with an aromatic hydrocarbon in the presence of an alkylating catalyst to form alkylaromatic compounds, where, prior to the reaction, additional linear olefins may be added, d) sulfonation of the alkylaromatic compounds obtained in stage c), and neutralization to give alkylarylsulfonates, where, prior to the sulfonation, linear alkylbenzenes may additionally be added, e) optional mixing of the alkylarylsulfonates obtained in stage d) with linear alkylarylsulfonates.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the preparation of methyl formate by reacting methanol with carbon monoxide at a pressure of from 0.5 to 10 MPa abs. and a temperature of from 50 to 150° C. in the presence of a metal alkoxide as catalyst in a reactor, in which a gas stream is withdrawn from the reactor, entrained methyl formate is removed from this gas stream by condensation, and all or some of the remaining gas stream is returned to the reactor as circulating-gas stream and a mean gas superficial velocity of from 1 to 20 cm/s is set in at least one region of the reactor in which the gas flows essentially in one direction.

Abstract: The invention relates to phosphacyclohexanes of general formulae I and II, wherein the following designations, among others, apply: R can represent hydrogen, C1-100-alkyl, C7-20-aralkyl, C7-20-alkaryl, and C6-12-aryl: R1 to R10 can independently represent hydrogen, C1-20-alkyl, C7-20-aralkyl, C7-20-alkaryl, and C6-12-aryl: W, W? can independently represent single bonds or bridges comprising 1 to 20 carbon atoms, which can form part of a cyclic or aromatic group and can be interrupted by heteroatoms. Said phosphacyclohexanes are used as ligands in transition metal complexes of transition metals belonging to groups VIII to X of the periodic table.

Abstract: Novel compounds of phosphorus, of arsenic and of antimony can be used as ligands to form complexes of metals of transition group VIII which can be used in catalysts for hydroformylation, hydrocyanation, carbonylation, hydrogenations, oligomerization and polymerization of olefins and for metathesis.

Abstract: A process for preparing a C13-alcohol mixture comprises a) bringing a butene-containing C4-hydrocarbon stream containing less than 5% by weight, based on the butene fraction, of isobutene into contact with a nickel-containing heterogeneous catalyst at elevated temperature, b) isolating a C12-olefin fraction from the reaction mixture, c) hydroformylating the C12-olefin fraction by reaction with carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the presence of a cobalt catalyst and d) hydrogenating the product from c). The alcohol mixture is suitable for preparing surfactants by alkoxylation, glycosidation, sulfation, phosphation, alkoxylation and subsequent sulfation or alkoxylation and subsequent phosphation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a catalyst system for carbonylating olefinically or acetylenically unsaturated compounds with carbon monoxide and a nucleophile compound, containing (a) palladium; (b) a phosphine and (c) a polymer containing nitrogen which is soluble in the reaction mixture, with the exception of polyvinyl polymers with aromatic radicals containing nitrogen on the polymer chain. The invention also relates to a method for carbonylation in the presence of one such catalyst system.

Abstract: The invention describes a process for the preparation of surfactant alcohols and surfactant alcohol ethers which are, inter alia, highly suitable as surfactants or for the preparation of surfactants. The process, starting from olefin mixtures having a defined minimum content of linear hexenes, gives mixtures having a predominant fraction of branched dodecenes, which are subsequently derivatized to give surfactant alcohols and then optionally alkoxylated. The surfactant alcohol mixture obtained in the process has a degree of branching of from 2.0 to 3.0 and in particular exhibits advantageous properties as regards ecotoxicity and biodegradability. A description is also given of the use of the surfactant alcohols and surfactant alcohol ethers as surfactants by glycosidation or polyglycosidation, sulfation or phosphation.