This invention relates to the quick and efficient synthesis of anti-tumor or anti-cancer compounds. More particularly, it relates to the quick and efficient synthesis of anti-tumor or anti-cancer compounds comprising phenylacetophenone derivatives using oxabenzonorbornadienes with terminal alkynes.

The present invention relates to a method for the catalytic synthesis of lactide from lactic acid. The method relates to the synthesis of lactide from lactic acid under the catalysis of a zinc oxide nanoparticle aqueous dispersion as a catalyst. The present invention has four technical characteristics: I. the zinc oxide nanoparticle aqueous dispersion catalyst has a sufficient surface area, and the size of nanoparticles is merely 30-40 nm, providing a sufficient contact area between the substrate (lactic acid) and the catalyst; II. the new catalyst has a milder catalytic effect on polymerization, allowing the molecular weight distribution of a prepolymer within a range of 400-1500 g/mol, which is advantageous for depolymerization to proceed; III. the new catalyst is stable, thus avoiding oxidation or carbonization in a high temperature reaction; and IV. the new catalyst has a low toxicity and a small threat to human health.

The present invention provides a method for producing a diol having a cyclic acetal skeleton, in which the method include an acetalization reaction step of obtaining a diol having a cyclic acetal skeleton by subjecting raw material hydroxypivalaldehyde and at least pentaerythritol and/or trimethylolpropane to an acetalization reaction under an acid catalyst and the raw material hydroxypivalaldehyde can contain a prescribed amount of at least one impurity selected from the group consisting of formaldehyde, neopentyl glycol, an ester compound having a neopentyl glycol skeleton represented by formula (III), and isobutyraldehyde.

The present invention relates to methods of producing ingenol-3-angelate (I) from ingenol (II). ##STR00001## Furthermore, the invention relates to intermediates useful for the synthesis of ingenol-3-angelate (I) from ingenol (II) and to methods of producing said intermediates.

Provided is a compound that comprises the structure: ##STR00001## where SIG is a signaling molecule and R.sup.3 is a formyl, a succinyl, a methyl succinyl, or a myristoyl. Also provided is a kit is provided that comprises the above compound, with instructions for determining the presence of the enzyme. Additionally, a method is provided for determining whether a sample has an enzyme that removes a succinyl, a methyl succinyl, a formyl, or a myristoyl moiety from an -amino of a lysine. Also provided is a method of determining whether a molecule inhibits an enzyme that removes a succinyl, a methyl succinyl, a formyl, or a myristoyl moiety from an -amino of a lysine.

The present invention provides a method for directly producing lactide by subjecting lactic acid to a dehydration reaction in the presence of a catalyst comprising a tin compound, preferably, a tin (IV) compound, wherein lactide can be produced directly or by one step from lactic acid, without going through the step of producing or separating lactic acid oligomer. The method of the present invention has advantages of causing no loss of lactic acid, having a high conversion ratio to lactic acid and a high selectivity to optically pure lactide, and maintaining a long life time of the catalyst. Further, since lactic acid oligomer is not or hardly generated and the selectivity of meso-lactide is low, the method also has an advantage that the cost for removing or purifying this can be saved.

The present invention provides a method for directly producing lactide by subjecting lactic acid to a dehydration reaction in the presence of a catalyst comprising a tin compound, preferably, a tin (IV) compound, wherein lactide can be produced directly or by one step from lactic acid, without going through the step of producing or separating lactic acid oligomer. The method of the present invention has advantages of causing no loss of lactic acid, having a high conversion ratio to lactic acid and a high selectivity to optically pure lactide, and maintaining a long life time of the catalyst. Further, since lactic acid oligomer is not or hardly generated and the selectivity of meso-lactide is low, the method also has an advantage that the cost for removing or purifying this can be saved.