Abstract: A process for preparing polycarbonate is composed of the steps of transesterifying a dialkyl oxalate and a phenolic compound to give a diaryl oxalate; decarbonylating the diaryl oxalate to give a diaryl carbonate; reacting the diaryl carbonate with a polyvalent hydroxyl compound in the presence of a catalyst containing an amine compound or an ammonium compound to give the polycarbonate, removing a phenolic by-product/amine by-product mixture; collecting the mixture; purifying the mixture so that the amount of the amine by-product in the mixture is reduced to give a phenolic by-product mixture not containing the amine by-product in an amount of more than 600 ppm; and, utilizing thus purified phenolic mixture as a whole or a part of the phenolic compound in the first step.

Abstract: A pressure switch 1 of this invention comprises a base electrode 2, a terminal 3, a disc 4 and a diaphragm 5. The base electrode 2 has a switching chamber 7 for inserting the contact part 3a of the terminal 3. The switching chamber 7 is sealed with an insulation member at one side. The disc 4 is formed so as to be able to contact with the contact part 3a of the terminal while it is connected to the base electrode 2 and to be able to inverse under a predetermined magnitude of pressure. The diaphragm 5 is made of a metal and is fixed to the base electrode 2 so as to keep vacuum of the switching chamber 7 including the contact part 3a and the disc 4 by sealing the opening of the switch chamber 7 at other side.

Abstract: An alkyl nitrite is produced with high efficiency by bringing a nitrogen monoxide gas into contact with an aqueous solution of an alkyl alcohol and nitric acid in a reactor 2, which aqueous solution may be a liquid fraction generated in an alkyl nitrite-production process in which an alkyl alcohol is reacted with nitrogen monoxide and oxygen in a reaction column 1.

Abstract: A refined dihydroxyaryl compound, for example, catechol, having a high degree of purity and a very low metal content is produced by evaporating a starting dihydroxyaryl compound in a distillation column, condensing the vapor fraction in a condenser connected to a top outlet of the distillation column, and collecting the condensed fraction from the condenser into a storage tank through a conduit, wherein the condenser and optionally the conduit and/or the storage tank have inside surfaces thereof formed from a metal material containing at least 25% by weight of nickel, and the condensed dihydroxyaryl compound fraction is brought into contact with the specific nickel (25% or more)-containing metal inside surface.

Abstract: A thermoelectric device that realizes miniaturization and densification, an optical module incorporating the thermoelectric device, and their production method. N-type thermoelectric elements 51 and p-type thermoelectric elements 52 are arranged orthogonally and alternately, on the XY-plane, in a matrix consisting of at least four elements in total in a row and at least four elements in total in a column. All the thermoelectric elements 51 and 52 have a size of at most 250 &mgr;m in the X and Y directions. At most four thermoelectric elements nearest to an n-type thermoelectric element 51 are of p type, and at most four thermoelectric elements nearest to a p-type thermoelectric element 52 are of n type. The thermoelectric elements 51 and 52 are bonded through metallic bonding materials to electrodes 53 having the shape of a rectangle or a rounded rectangle formed on an insulating substrate 54.

Abstract: A cyclododecanone compound is continuously produced by an isomerization reaction of a corresponding epoxycyclododecane compound in the presence of a catalyst including lithium bromide and/or lithium iodide, the isomerization reaction being carried out by passing a reaction mixture containing the epoxycyclododecane compound and the catalyst through a continuous reaction apparatus including at least one tubular reactor preferably at a temperature of 100 to 350° C.

Abstract: A developing device for feeding a developer stored therein to an image carrier of the present invention includes a sleeve facing the image carrier for causing the developer deposited thereon to contact a latent image formed on the image carrier. A regulating member faces the sleeve for regulating the thickness of the developer that forms a layer on the sleeve. A guide member has a guide surface for guiding the developer regulated by the regulating member toward the surface of the image carrier. The guide surface has a conductive surface facing the sleeve. The developing device protects the image carrier from defective images ascribable to impurities, which include deteriorated toner and paper dust, without resorting to a filter mechanism or a bias for collection.

Abstract: A composition consisting essentially of a diaryl carbonate and contains a furan ring-containing compound in an amount of not more than 1 ppm is favorably employable for producing less colored polycarbonate.

Abstract: A pressure switch 1 of this invention comprises a base electrode 2, a terminal 3, a disc 4 and a diaphragm 5. The base electrode 2 has a switching chamber 7 for inserting the contact part 3a of the terminal 3. The switching chamber 7 is sealed with an insulation member at one side. The disc 4 is formed so as to be able to contact with the contact part 3a of the terminal while it is connected to the base electrode 2 and to be able to inverse under a predetermined magnitude of pressure. The diaphragm 5 is made of a metal and is fixed to the base electrode 2 so as to keep vacuum of the switching chamber 7 including the contact part 3a and the disc 4 by sealing the opening of the switch chamber 7 at other side.

Abstract: A cyclododecanone compound is continuously produced by feeding a liquid feed containing a corresponding epoxycyclododecane compound and LiBr and/or LiI into a frontmost reaction region of a plurality of reaction regions connected to each other in series; successively passing the liquid feed through the series of reaction regions to catalytically isomerize the epoxycyclododecane compound into a corresponding cyclododecanone compound; and collecting the resultant reaction mixture containing the target cyclododecanone compound from a rearmost reaction region of the series of reaction regions.

Abstract: A cyclododecanone compound is continuously produced by feeding a liquid feed containing a corresponding epoxycyclododecane compound and LiBr and/or LiI into a frontmost reaction region of a plurality of reaction regions connected to each other in series; successively passing the liquid feed through the series of reaction regions to catalytically isomerize the epoxycyclododecane compound into a corresponding cyclododecanone compound; and collecting the resultant reaction mixture containing the target cyclododecanone compound from a rearmost reaction region of the series of reaction regions.

Abstract: A cyclododecanone compound is continuously produced by an isomerization reaction of a corresponding epoxycyclododecane compound in the presence of a catalyst including lithium bromide and/or lithium iodide, the isomerization reaction being carried out by passing a reaction mixture containing the epoxycyclododecane compound and the catalyst through a continuous reaction apparatus including at least one tubular reactor preferably at a temperature of 100 to 350° C.

Abstract: A cyclododecanone compound is produced in a high reaction rate, with a high conversion of the starting compound, and with a high selectivity to and a high yield of the target compound by isomerizing an epoxycyclododecane compound in the presence of a catalyst comprising lithium bromide and/or lithium iodide, without using a solvent or in a non-polar solvent, in an inert gas atmosphere, while substantially no polymeric compounds having a high boiling temperature is produced.

Abstract: A composition consisting essentially of a diaryl carbonate and contains a furan ring-containing compound in an amount of not more than 1 ppm is favorably employable for producing less colored polycarbonate

Abstract: A cyclododecanone compound is produced in a high reaction rate, with a high conversion of the starting compound, and with a high selectivity to and a high yield of the target compound by isomerizing an epoxycyclododecane compound in the presence of a catalyst comprising lithium bromide and/or lithium iodide, without using a solvent or in a non-polar solvent, in an inert gas atmosphere, while substantially no polymeric compounds having a high boiling temperature is produced.

Abstract: An alkyl nitrite can be produced on an industrial scale with a high efficiency and with a low yield of by-products by the process wherein nitrogen oxide-containing feed gas is brought into an alkyl alcohol liquid in a distillation column reactor while circulating a liquid fraction, produced in the reactor and containing the alkyl alcohol, through a circulation path including a lower section of the reactor and a cooler to remove the reaction heat vigorously generated in the reactor, and while controlling the weight ratio of the circulating liquid fraction to the total alkyl alcohol fed into the reactor to 50:1 to 200:1, the molar ratio of the total alkyl alcohol fed to the reactor and contained in the circulating liquid fraction to nitrogen oxide in the feed gas to 20:1 to 150:1, and the content of the alkyl alcohol in the liquid fraction to 15 to 60% by weight; and the resultant gas fraction containing the target alkyl nitrite is collected from the reactor.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing a diaryl oxalate, characterized in that an alkylaryl oxalate is subjected to a disproportionation reaction in the presence of a disproportionation catalyst, thereby to produce a diaryl oxalate while removing a by-product comprising a dialkyl oxalate.The production process of the present invention is advantageous in that the kinds of the by-products are fewer than that in conventional production process for diaryl oxalate, and thus can be practically utilized in industry, and the diaryl oxalates such as diphenyl oxalate, produced by the production process of the present invention are very important industrial materials for producing chemical products such as carbamates.

Abstract: An imaging device of the present invention includes a separating unit for separating a stack of original documents one by one. The separating unit feeds the separated document to a reading unit capable of reading an image out of the document. To insure stable operation of both the separating unit and reading unit, the separating unit and reading unit are respectively provided with an exclusive separating motor and an exclusive reading motor. A first transporting roller is included in the separating unit and rotated at a speed equal to or higher than the rotation speed of a second transporting roller included in the reading unit. This insures stable transport of the document from the separating unit to the reading unit. Even when any drive element included in the separating unit fluctuates, drive elements included in the reading unit are free from the influence of the fluctuation.

Abstract: A diaryl carbonate is produced by decarbonylating a diaryl oxalate, which can be prepared by transesterification of a dialkyl oxalate with a hydroxyaryl compound, in the presence of a catalyst, while removing the resultant carbon monoxide as a by-product, and then optionally refined by an evaporation and/or distillation, and then the resultant diaryl carbonate is condensation-polymerized with a polyhydroxyl compound, while recovering a resultant hydroxyaryl compound from the reaction system, to produce a polycarbonate.

Abstract: A process for preparing a diaryl carbonate from a diaryl oxalate in a liquid phase by decarbonylation is conducted by the steps of:1) performing a decarbonylation reaction of a diaryl oxalate in the presence of an organic phosphorus compound catalyst to give a reaction mixture of a diaryl carbonate and the organic phosphorus compound catalyst;2) recovering the diaryl carbonate from the reaction mixture; and3) performing a decarbonylation reaction of a diaryl oxalate in the presence of the reaction mixture from which the diaryl carbonate has been recovered and to which a halogen atom-containing compound is added, to give a reaction mixture of a diaryl carbonate and the organic phosphorus compound catalyst.