Provided is a method for efficiently producing a levulinic acid ester from a cellulose-containing raw material or a carbohydrate-containing raw material in an alcohol solvent using an inexpensive, easily available catalytic system. In a method for producing a levulinic acid ester by reacting at least one of a cellulose-containing raw material and a carbohydrate-containing raw material in the presence of an alcohol and a catalyst, use is made of, as a catalyst, a combination of: at least one metal compound (exclusive of gallium acetylacetonate and indium acetylacetonate) selected from the group consisting of hydroxide salts, sulfates, nitrates, carboxylates, alkoxides, acetylacetonates, and oxides of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of metals belonging to Group XIII and Group XIV of the Periodic Table; and an organic sulfonic acid.

A compound may be capable of further improving the capability of an organic EL device. An organic electroluminescent device may have a further improved device capability using such compound(s). An electronic device may include such an organic electroluminescent device. Such compounds may have formula (1)

##STR00001##

wherein the symbols are as defined in the description.

Provided is a method of producing an aliphatic glycoside compound or a sugar fatty acid ester compound by subjecting an intramolecularly dehydrated sugar and an alcohol or carboxylic acid compound of an aliphatic hydrocarbon to an addition reaction in the presence of an acid catalyst.

Provided is a method for producing a diol represented by Formula (1), the method including using water as a solvent to carry out a cyclodehydration reaction of a 1,4-cyclohexanedione derivative represented by Formula (2) with a triol represented by Formula (3) to produce a diol represented by Formula (1). In Formula (1), R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently denote a hydrocarbon group, and R.sup.3 each independently denotes a hydrogen atom, a heteroatom-containing group, a halogen atom-containing group, a linear alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a branched alkyl group having from 3 to 6 carbon atoms, or a group including an aryl group and having from 6 to 12 carbon atoms. ##STR00001##

A method for producing a carbonyl compound represented by formula (1): ##STR00001##
wherein R.sup.1 is hydrogen or an organic group; R.sup.2 is hydrogen or an organic group; and R.sup.3 is hydrogen or an organic group; or two or three of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 may be linked to form a ring that may have at least one substituent, the method comprising step A of oxidizing an olefin compound represented by formula (2): ##STR00002##
wherein symbols are as defined above, by an oxidizing agent in the presence of (a) a non-alcohol organic solvent, (b) water, (c) a metal catalyst, and (d) an additive represented by the formula: MXn, wherein M is an element belonging to any one of Group 1, Group 2, Group 13, Group 14, and Group 15 in the periodic table, or NR.sub.4, wherein R is hydrogen or a C.sub.1-10 organic group; X is halogen; and n is a number of 1 to 5.

This invention provides producing having an objective ketone and/or alcohol by decomposing of a hydrocarbon compound rapidly and selectively having a same number of carbon atoms as a hydrocarbon compound by decomposing a hydroperoxide in a reaction solution obtained from oxidizing the hydrocarbon compound using molecular oxygen of this invention involves, a hydroperoxide decomposition step for decomposing the hydroperoxide into the ketone and/or alcohol by contacting the reaction solution with an aqueous solution containing a carbonate of an alkaline earth metal or a carbonate of an alkali metal and a transition metal compound, a separation step for separating into an oil phase comprising the ketone and/or alcohol, and a water phase comprising the carbonate of an alkaline earth metal or carbonate of an alkali metal and the transition metal compound, a recovery step for recovering the carbonate of an alkali metal or carbonate of an alkaline earth metal and the transition metal compound by combusting the water phase, and a recycling step for recycling to the hydroperoxide decomposition step by dissolving at least the carbonate of the alkali metal or the carbonate of the alkaline earth metal among the recovered substances obtained from the recovery step in water.

To reduce formation of side products and to enhance a selectivity rate in a method for producing 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate and in a method for producing glycidyl (meth)acrylate.

The present invention is characterized by a method for producing 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate through a reaction of (meth)acrylic acid and epichlorohydrin; more specifically, the reaction is carried out by using 0.5 to 2 mol of epichlorohydrin relative to 1 mol of (meth)acrylic acid, and by adding epichlorohydrin to (meth)acrylic acid in the presence of a catalyst. Also, the present invention is characterized by a method for producing glycidyl (meth)acrylate through a reaction of 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate and a basic carbonate compound in a polar solvent.

A fluorine-containing alkylsilane compound represented by the general formula:

CF.sub.3(CF.sub.2).sub.n(CH.sub.2CF.sub.2).sub.a(CF.sub.2CF.sub.2).sub.b(CH.sub.2).sub.3SiR.sub.3-dX.sub.d  [I]

wherein n is an integer of 0 to 5; a is 1 or 2; b is an integer of 0 to 3; R is a C.sub.1-C.sub.3 alkoxy group, a fluorine-containing alkoxy group, or an alkenyl group; X is halogen; and d is an integer of 0 to 3. The fluorine-containing alkylsilane compound is produced by reacting, in the presence of a transition metal catalyst, a polyfluoroalkyl allyl compound represented by the general formula:

CF.sub.3(CF.sub.2).sub.n(CH.sub.2CF.sub.2).sub.a(CF.sub.2CF.sub.2).sub.bCH.sub.2CH═CH.sub.2  [II]

wherein n, a, and b are as defined above, with: an alkoxysilane, or a chlorosilane, followed by a reaction with lower alcohol or metal alkenyl. The production method gives a fluorine-containing alkylsilane compound that can remove free iodine derived from the raw material compound, before a hydrosilylation reaction is performed, without using a metal reagent having a high environmental load, and that also has excellent handling properties.

Provided are a photoirradiation device equipped with: a first optically transparent container for covering a light-emitting body provided with light-emitting diodes; a liquid phase section provided on the outside thereof and formed from a liquid having a refractive index closer to that of the first optically transparent container than that of a gas forming a gas phase section inside the first optically transparent container; and a second optically transparent container for covering the liquid phase section, a photoreaction method using the photoirradiation device, and a method for producing lactam by using the photoreaction method. The reflection of light between a target liquid and a light-emitting diode light source is suppressed, and a desired photoirradiation can be achieved with a high optical transparency.

Provided is a photochemical reaction device wherein two partitions formed from an optically transparent material are arranged apart from each other between a light source and a reaction liquid, and an optically transparent fluid introduction/discharge means for introducing an optically transparent fluid between the partitions and discharging the fluid and a state change detection means for detecting a change in the state of the optically transparent fluid at the discharge side of the optically transparent fluid introduction/discharge means are provided. Also provided are a photochemical reaction method that uses the photochemical reaction device and a lactam production method that uses the photochemical reaction method. The present invention prevents decreases in the performance of the light source even when the optically transparent material in the photochemical reaction device is damaged, and makes it possible to reliably prevent ignition even if the reaction liquid is a flammable liquid.