Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing a novel compound, i.e., ?-chloromethoxycarboxylic acid ester represented by General Formula (1): (CF3)2C(OCH2Cl)COOR, wherein R is a hydrocarbon group which may be substituted with at least one atom selected from the group consisting of halogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur atoms, comprising reacting an ?-methoxycarboxylic acid ester represented by General Formula (2): (CF3)2C(OCH3)COOR, wherein R is as defined above, with molecular chlorine; and a process for producing 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropyl fluoromethyl ether represented by a chemical formula (CF3)2CH(OCH2F), comprising fluorinating and decarboxylating the ?-chloromethoxycarboxylic acid ester. According to the present invention, 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropyl fluoromethyl ether (sevoflurane), which is known as a compound having an anesthetic property, can be produced efficiently and at a low cost.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-methoxypropane, wherein a novel compound, 2-methoxy-2-trifluoromethyl-3,3,3-trifluoropropionic acid or a salt thereof is decarboxylated, or wherein an olefin compound represented by chemical formula (4): CF2?C(CF3)(OCH3) is reacted with a fluorinating agent; and a process for producing 2-methoxy-2-trifluoromethyl-3,3,3-trifluoropropionic acid or a salt thereof by reacting a hydroxycarboxylic ester with a methylating agent and then hydrolyzing the reaction product, or hydrolyzing the hydroxycarboxylic ester and then reacting the resulting product with a methylating agent. In accordance with the invention, 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-methoxypropane, which is useful as a raw material for, for example, the anesthetic Sevoflurane, can be produced efficiently and at low cost.

Abstract: A polymerization catalyst composition for a radically polymerizable monomer of the present invention comprises a transition metal-containing phosphazenium composition which is produced by mixing a phosphazenium compound with a compound of a transition metal belonging to Groups 4 to 12 in the periodic table and an organic halogen compound.

Abstract: An electric automobile includes a fuel cell for power generation by supply of hydrogen and oxidizing agent, a hydrogen generating device for generating a gas containing hydrogen to be supplied to the fuel cell, and a motor driven by electricity generated by the fuel cell. The hydrogen generating device generates gas containing hydrogen by decomposing an organic compound-containing fuel, and includes a proton conductive partition membrane, a fuel electrode provided on one surface of the partition membrane to directly generate the gas containing hydrogen, a device for supplying, to the fuel electrode, water and organic compound-containing fuel capable of producing a proton as a result of electrochemical oxidization which can pass through the partition membrane, an oxidizing electrode provided on the other surface of the partition membrane, a device for supplying the oxidizing agent to the oxidizing electrode, and a device for generating and collecting the gas containing hydrogen.

Abstract: The exposure apparatus is provided with: an optical member; and a holding member that holds the optical member. Both end portions of the optical member are held by the holding member with a first adhering unit that is cured by light irradiation for first duration and a second adhering unit that is cured by light irradiation for second duration which is longer than the first duration.

Abstract: A hydrogen supply system includes at least a hydrogen supply device for supplying hydrogen to a hydrogen storing device, and a hydrogen generating device producing hydrogen containing gas to be supplied to the hydrogen supply device. The hydrogen generating device produces the hydrogen containing gas by decomposing a fuel containing an organic compound, and includes a partition membrane, a fuel electrode provided on one surface of the partition membrane for generating hydrogen containing gas, a device for supplying a fuel containing the organic compound and water to the fuel electrode, an oxidizing electrode provided on the other surface of the partition membrane, a device for supplying an oxidizing agent to the oxidizing electrode, and a device for collecting the hydrogen containing gas directly from the fuel electrode.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus which enables parameters for carrying out processing on substrates to be changed easily by a user. A storage device stores parameters that are for controlling the processing and are categorized into a plurality of categories. A control device carries out the processing on the substrate based on the parameters. A parameter changing device enables each of the parameters to be changed in accordance with the category of that parameter. A parameter category changing device changes the category of some of the parameters. A category change defining device is detachable from the substrate processing apparatus and specifies parameters whose category is to be changed out of the parameters. The parameter category changing device changes the category of each of the parameters specified by the category change defining device.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing a novel compound, i.e., ?-chloromethoxycarboxylic acid ester represented by General Formula (1): (CF3)2C(OCH2Cl)COOR, wherein R is a hydrocarbon group which may be substituted with at least one atom selected from the group consisting of halogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur atoms, comprising reacting an ?-methoxycarboxylic acid ester represented by General Formula (2): (CF3)2C(OCH3)COOR, wherein R is as defined above, with molecular chlorine; and a process for producing 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropyl fluoromethyl ether represented by a chemical formula (CF3)2CH(OCH2F), comprising fluorinating and decarboxylating the ?-chloromethoxycarboxylic acid ester. According to the present invention, 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropyl fluoromethyl ether (sevoflurane), which is known as a compound having an anesthetic property, can be produced efficiently and at a low cost.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of producing a fluoropolymer, wherein polymerization using a carboxylate ester bond-containing carboxylic acid derivative as a surfactant in an aqueous medium to give the fluoropolymer is conducted, the above carboxylate ester bond-containing carboxylic acid derivative has a carboxylate ester bond and —COOM (M representing H, NH4, Li, Na or K), the above carboxylate ester bond may optionally be substituted by fluorine atom.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an antistress agent comprising as an active ingredient a saccharide containing 3-O-?-D-glucopyranosyl-D-glucose as a structural unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide said antistress agent which is free from side effects as a medicine, and can be taken habitually and also can be ingested simply as a food or a beverage, or the like.

Abstract: The invention provides a fluoroethercarboxylic acid which is represented by the general formula (I): Rf1OCHFCF2ORf2COOM??(I) wherein Rf1 represents a partially or fully fluorinated alkyl group, which may optionally be interrupted with one or more oxygen atoms, Rf2 represents a partially or fully fluorinated alkylene group, which may optionally be interrupted with one or more oxygen atoms, and M represents a monovalent alkali metal, NH4 or H. The fluoroethercarboxylic acid can be suitably used as a surfactant and is low in bioaccumulation. The invention is also a method of fluoropolymer production and an aqueous fluoropolymer dispersion, using the fluoroethercarboxylic acid as a surfactant.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of producing a fluoropolymer, wherein polymerization using a carboxylate ester bond-containing carboxylic acid derivative as a surfactant in an aqueous medium to give the fluoropolymer is conducted, the above carboxylate ester bond-containing carboxylic acid derivative has a carboxylate ester bond and —COOM (M representing H, NH4, Li, Na or K), the above carboxylate ester bond may optionally be substituted by fluorine atom.

Abstract: A ceramic heater in which a damage in a joining portion between a heating portion and a lead portion is suppressed and the reliability is excellent is provided. In a ceramic heater (1) including: a rod-shaped support (2) which is made from an insulative ceramic; and a resistor member (3) including a heating portion (31) embedded in a tip end part of the support (2), and a pair of lead portions (33) which extend from the heating portion (31) toward a rear end side of the support (2), the heating portion (31) and the lead portions (33) are made from the same conductive ceramic.

Abstract: The invention provides positive-acting chemically-amplified photoresist compositions that can provide excellent lithographic performance as well as significantly enhanced storage stability. In one aspect, photoresist compositions are provided that comprise a solvent that is free of hydroxy groups (i.e. non-hydroxylic solvent), a resin binder and a photoactive compound that exhibits enhanced and long-term solubility in the solvent. In a further aspect, resists are provided that are formulated in a hydroxyl-containing solvent such as ethyl lactate and that contains a sulfonium salt photoactive compound that includes a sulfonate counter anion that can provide enhanced storage stability for the resist.

Abstract: Producing an immunostimulating composition containing lactic acid bacteria having IL-12 production-inducing activity, by culturing lactic acid bacteria belonging to the genus Lactobacillus, immediately killing the bacteria at the point of time at which the pH of the culture medium substantially stops decreasing, and then adding the obtained killed cells to a food-or-drink product.

Abstract: The present invention provides a moisturizer comprising heat-killed cells of Lactobacillus plantarum as an active ingredient. The moisturizer of the present invention improves the water retention capacity of the stratum corneum, and is useful for prevention and improvement of rough skin.

Abstract: The present invention provides a moisturizer comprising, as an active ingredient, a saccharide having 3-O-?-D-glucopyranosyl-D-glucose as a structural unit. The moisturizer of the present invention improves the water retention capacity of the stratum corneum, and is useful for prevention and improvement of rough skin.

Abstract: Disclosed is an excellent gas barrier laminate whose gas-barrier property has little dependency on temperature and which hardly causes fracture even when the laminate is stretched. A gas barrier film comprising a polymer (A) of an unsaturated carboxylic acid compound monovalent metal salt (a), wherein the polymer (A) contains a modified vinyl alcohol polymer (B); a gas barrier laminate comprising a base layer and the gas barrier film formed on at least one surface of the base layer; and a method for production of a gas barrier laminate comprising the steps of: coating a solution of an unsaturated carboxylic acid compound monovalent metal salt (a) having a polymerization degree less than 20 on at least one surface of a base layer, wherein the solution contains a modified vinyl alcohol polymer (B); performing the polymerizaton to form a layer of the polymer (A) of the unsaturated carboxylic acid compound monovalent metal salt (a) containing the modified vinyl alcohol polymer (B).

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of producing a fluoropolymer, wherein polymerization using a carboxylate ester bond-containing carboxylic acid derivative as a surfactant in an aqueous medium to give the fluoropolymer is conducted, the above carboxylate ester bond-containing carboxylic acid derivative has a carboxylate ester bond and —COOM (M representing H, NH4, Li, Na or K), the above carboxylate ester bond may optionally be substituted by fluorine atom.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a compound represented by formula (2): [CF3(CF2)n][CF3(CF2)m]C(OH)2??(2) wherein n and m independently represent 0 to 10, the method comprising reacting with a halogen or a halogen-containing oxidizing agent a salt of a compound represented by formula (1): [CF3(CF2)n][CF3(CF2)m]C(OH)COOH??(1) wherein n and m independently represent 0 to 10.