Abstract: A process for producing 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid which includes conducting hydration and successive hydrolysis of 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutyronitrile in a reaction system containing 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutyronitrile and sulfuric acid, ammonium bisulfate being added to the reaction system at the time of the hydration and/or the hydrolysis, acquiring 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid from the resulting organic layer, adding a water-miscible organic solvent to the by-produced aqueous layer to deposit ammonium sulfate, and separating and removing the ammonium sulfate from ammonium bisulfate, thereby permitting recycling and reusing of ammonium bisulfate, reduces the amount of sulfuric acid used, produces substantially no waste water containing sulfates and is of a low production cost and environmentally friendly.

Abstract: The use of triacids of the formula I ##STR1## where X.sup.1 to X.sup.3 are, independently of one another, carboxylic acid groups of the formula COOM, sulfonic acid groups of the formula SO.sub.3 M or phosphonic acid groups of the formula PO.sub.3 M.sub.2, whereM is hydrogen, alkali metal, ammonium or substituted ammonium,A.sup.1 to A.sup.3 are, independently of one another, 1,2-alkylene with 2 to 18 carbon atoms,R.sup.1 to R.sup.3 are, independently of one another, C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 -alkylene, andx, y and z are, independently of one another, a number from 0 to 10, where the total of x+y+z must be greater than or equal to 1,as complexing agents for complexing heavy metals or for preparing heavy metal complexes for changing the redox potential, and as builders in detergents and cleaners.

Abstract: Process for the treatment of a material comprising a polymer, especially a polyamide. The process consists in subjecting the polyamide to hydrolysis in the presence of a hydrolyzing nitrous grouping and transforming the hydrolyzed compounds into diacids. The treatment of a polyamide 6.6 results in the recovery of adipic acid and other diacids corresponding to the participating acid monomer and to the transformation of at least one part of the diamine monomer into diacids.

Abstract: Catalysts of the formula I?A.sub.a B.sub.b O.sub.x !.sub.p ?C.sub.c D.sub.d Fe.sub.e Co.sub.f E.sub.i F.sub.j O.sub.y !.sub.q I,whereA is bismuth, tellurium, antimony, tin and/or copper,B is molybdenum and/or tungsten,C is an alkali metal, thallium and/or samarium,D is an alkaline earth metal, nickel, copper, cobalt, manganese, zinc, tin, cerium, chromium, cadmium, molybdenum, bismuth and/or mercury,E is phosphorus, arsenic, boron and/or antimony,F is a rare-earth metal, vanadium and/or uranium,a is from 0.01 to 8,b is from 0.1 to 30,c is from 0 to 4,d is from 0 to 20,e is from 0 to 20,f is from 0 to 20,i is from 0 to 6,j is from 0 to 15,x and y are numbers determined by the valency and frequency of the elements other than oxygen in I, and p and q are numbers whose ratio p/q is in the range from 0.001 to 0.

Abstract: An improved process is discloses to prepare an amino carboxylic acid salt. According to the process an aqueous solution of an amino alcohol is contacted with an alkali metal hydroxide in the presence of an effective amount of Raney copper catalyst that has from about 10 parts per million of an element selected from the group consisting of bismuth, tin, antimony, lead, germanium and mixtures thereof.

Abstract: A method of synthesizing rhizoferrin and analogues thereof comprising acylating a protected polyamine with a citric acid diester; hydrolyzing the resulting amide to produce an N-protected rhizoferrin or analog thereof; and de-protecting the intermediate to produce rhizoferrin or the analog thereof.

Abstract: A gas treating composition prepared by reacting 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol with KOH, diluting with water and adding K.sub.2 CO.sub.3 and a vanadium corrosion inhibitor.

Abstract: A process for preparing a water-soluble organic oxide which comprises reacting an oil-soluble organic compound with molecular oxygen in the presence of a water-insoluble sensitizer in an organic solvent phase under irradiation of light to produce a water-soluble organic oxide, and transferring the water-soluble organic oxide to a water phase which forms a layer in contact with said organic solvent phase.

Abstract: Methyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoate and formamide are produced by means of reacting 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanamide obtained by hydration of 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutyronitrile with methyl formate. Said methyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoate is hydrolyzed to give 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid and methanol. No sulfuric acid is employed as a reacting agent, hence exhaustion of a large quantity of ammonium sulfate is prevented. Formamide and methanol thus produced can be recycled as reactants.

Abstract: An improved process is disclosed to prepare an carboxylic acid salt. According to the process, an aqueous solution of an alcohol is contacted with an alkali metal hydroxide in the presence of an effective amount of a copper catalyst that contains from about 50 parts per million to about 10,000 parts per million of an element selected from the group consisting of chromium, titanium, niobium, tantalum, zirconium, vanadium, molybdenum, manganese, tungsten, cobalt, nickel and mixtures thereof. Raney copper is preferred.

Abstract: An improved process is disclosed to prepare an amino carboxylic acid salt. According to the process, an aqueous solution of an amino alcohol is contacted with an alkali metal hydroxide in the presence of an effective amount of a Raney copper catalyst that has from about 50 parts per million to about 10,000 parts per million of an element selected from the group consisting of chromium, titanium, niobium, tantalum, zirconium, vanadium, molybdenum, manganese, tungsten, cobalt, nickel and mixtures thereof.

Abstract: Procedure for obtaining acetic acid derivatives (I) where R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are H or groups --CH.sub.2 --COOH by oxidation of (II) where R and R' are H or groups of --CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 OH with O.sub.2 or a gas that contains it, in the presence of an metal hydroxide, demineralized water and Cu-Raney. The reaction is carried out keeping constant a partial pressure of oxygen below 20 Kg/cm.sup.2, inside the reactor. The acids (I) obtained as soluble salts, can be isolated and purified by chemical or electrochemical means.Examples of acids (I) are glycine, iminediacetic acid and nitricetriacetic acid, useful as nutrients and in the synthesis of herbicides.

Abstract: There is provided a novel process for producing aminocarboxylic acid salts useful as starting materials of agricultural chemicals and medicines, chelating agents, food additives, and so on. This process is characterized in that when producing an aminocarboxylic acid salt by an oxidative dehydrogenation reaction of an amino alcohol in the presence of an alkali metal hydroxide and/or an alkaline earth metal hydroxide, a copper-containing catalyst and water, the reaction is performed by adding an aluminum metal and/or an aluminum compound (e.g., sodium aluminate and aluminum hydroxide) to the reaction system.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel process for producing an aminocarboxylic acid salt which is useful as a material for agricultural chemicals and drugs, a chelating agent, a food additive, etc. The process produces an aminocarboxylic acid salt from an aminoalcohol by subjecting the aminoalcohol to an oxidative dehydrogenation reaction in the coexistence of an alkali metal hydroxide and/or an alkaline earth metal hydroxide, a copper-containing catalyst and water, and is characterized by performing the reaction while maintaining the nickel concentration in the reaction mixture at 40 ppm or less.

Abstract: The bis-homotris compounds 4-amino-4-[1-(3-hydroxy-propyl)]-1,7-heptanediol and 4-[1-(3-aminopropyl)]-4-[1-(3-hydroxypropyl)]-1, 7-heptanediol, and organic synthetic methods for their preparation are described. Unique multifunctional aminotriols, as well as their percursors, quaternary nitroalkanes are disclosed as building blocks for unimolecular micelles, as well as new series of cascade polymers. The quaternary nitro compounds which are disclosed allow the synthesis of a new aminotriol containing a quaternary carbon.

Abstract: .alpha.-Fluoroacryloyl derivatives are prepared by reacting a dihalogenopropene with an anhydrous mixture of nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid to give a 1-nitro-2,2-fluorohalogeno-3-halogenopropane, converting this in the presence of a strong acid and a little water at elevated temperature to a 2,2-fluorohalogeno-3-halogenopropanoic acid, converting this into an ester or an amide and finally treating this with a dehalogenating agent.

Abstract: Acrylic acid or other unsaturated carboxylic acid is made by hydrolysing the corresponding nitrile in the presence of excess sulphuric acid to form amide sulphate, adding amide in an amount such that the total amount of amide and nitrile fed to the process is greater than 1 mole per mole sulphuric acid, hydrolysing the amide sulphate and amide to the desired acid and separating the acid from the sulphate by-products.

Abstract: A method for the manufacture of an aminocarboxylic acid salt which comprises subjecting to dehydrogenation an amino alcohol represented by the general formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 denote hydrogen, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH, an alkyl group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms or an aminoalkyl group having 2 or 3 carbon atoms, which may be the same or different, in the presence of the hydroxide of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals, water and a catalyst containing copper metals or a copper compound and a zirconium compound.

Abstract: Acylated aminocarnitines have utility as competitive inhibitors of carnitine acyl transferases and the unacylated compounds have utility as intermediates for making the acylated compounds.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of synthesizing 3-amino-2-hydroxy-2-cyclopentenones possessing an aliphatic substituent in the 4-position which comprises reacting cyanoacetamide with an aliphatic aldehyde to yield the corresponding .beta.-substituted-.alpha.,.alpha.'-dicyanoglutaramide, hydrolyzing the amide to the corresponding .beta.

Abstract: A method for the oxidation of alicyclic hydrocarbons having substituent groups by the use of liquid nitrogen dioxide (N.sub.2 O.sub.4).

Abstract: An extremely mild, oxidative process for converting alkoxyalkanols to the corresponding acids is disclosed which comprises reacting the alcohol with an alkali metal hydroxide and tert-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of a catalytic amount of palladium.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of a .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated carboxylic acid by reacting formaldehyde, another aldehyde and a mineral acid salt of a secondary amine to form an intermediate Mannich base salt; oxidizing the Mannich base salt to the corresponding aminoacid salt; thermally cracking the aminoacid salt to yield an aqueous reaction products mixture of an .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated carboxylic acid and the mineral acid salt of the secondary amine; and separating and isolating the aqueous reaction products.