This invention relates to a method for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into ethyl esters of carboxylic acids. Said method consists of treating the biomass material with an oxidizing agent that is incorporated in an solution comprising one or more acids, one or more alcohols and water, and subsequently performing a catalytic reaction at a higher temperature using the same acidic solution into which a larger volume of alcohol is added, in such a way that the catalytic conversion occurs in a medium with a much higher concentration of alcohol, i.e. with a much higher alcohol-to-water wt ratio. Such a method results in relatively high yields of ethyl esters, such as ethyl esters of formic, acetic, and levulinic acids, while producing a low yield of dialkyl ethers, which are unwanted by-products. The concentration of the oxidizing agent in the pre-treatment step is preferably higher than 6.0 wt %. The oxidizing agent is preferably a Fenton or Fenton-type reagent, and most preferably hydrogen peroxide activated by Fe (II), and/or Ti (IV) ions. The alcohol is preferably ethanol, and when ethanol is used, diethyl ether is formed as the unwanted dialkyl ether by-product. Preferably, the biomass material is pelleted before treatment.

Provided are an environmentally-friendly high-efficiency method of manufacturing an ester compound based on an esterification reaction using a salt ion-exchange method and an ester compound manufactured thereby. In the conventional esterification reaction, an ester was produced in low yields due to the hydrolysis (i.e., reverse reaction) caused by water, or it was required to continuously supply hydrochloric acid gas or use thionyl chloride, which is a hazardous material, and thus there were limitations in terms of environmental friendliness or cost. On the other hand, in the present invention, hydrochloric acid gas is continuously supplied using the salt ion-exchange method, and since magnesium sulfate acts as a dehydrating agent, the water generated in the esterification reaction is removed, and thus the occurrence of hydrolysis (i.e., reverse reaction) is suppressed and a conversion rate to the desired ester compound is increased. In addition, since the reactants are inexpensive and the product is less hazardous and easy to handle, a more efficient reaction is possible.

Provided are an environmentally-friendly high-efficiency method of manufacturing an ester compound based on an esterification reaction using a salt ion-exchange method and an ester compound manufactured thereby. In the conventional esterification reaction, an ester was produced in low yields due to the hydrolysis (i.e., reverse reaction) caused by water, or it was required to continuously supply hydrochloric acid gas or use thionyl chloride, which is a hazardous material, and thus there were limitations in terms of environmental friendliness or cost. On the other hand, in the present invention, hydrochloric acid gas is continuously supplied using the salt ion-exchange method, and since magnesium sulfate acts as a dehydrating agent, the water generated in the esterification reaction is removed, and thus the occurrence of hydrolysis (i.e., reverse reaction) is suppressed and a conversion rate to the desired ester compound is increased. In addition, since the reactants are inexpensive and the product is less hazardous and easy to handle, a more efficient reaction is possible.

A process for preparing an aldol ester of the formula (I), wherein at least one carboxylic anhydride of the formula (II) is reacted with at least one aldol of the formula (III) with heating in the presence of a basic catalyst with a pKa of the conjugate acid of at least 8, and the reaction product obtained from the process. The process provides a light-coloured and low-odour reaction product which has a high content of aldol ester content of the formula (I) and can be used, without elaborate purification steps, particularly without overhead distillation of the aldol ester, as a blocking agent for primary amines. The resultant blocked amines have a long storage life together with polymers containing isocyanate groups, and cure rapidly and reliably on contact with moisture to form mechanically high-grade and robust elastomers.

A process for preparing an aldol ester of the formula (I), wherein at least one carboxylic anhydride of the formula (II) is reacted with at least one aldol of the formula (III) with heating in the presence of a basic catalyst with a pKa of the conjugate acid of at least 8, and the reaction product obtained from the process. The process provides a light-coloured and low-odour reaction product which has a high content of aldol ester content of the formula (I) and can be used, without elaborate purification steps, particularly without overhead distillation of the aldol ester, as a blocking agent for primary amines. The resultant blocked amines have a long storage life together with polymers containing isocyanate groups, and cure rapidly and reliably on contact with moisture to form mechanically high-grade and robust elastomers.

Disclosed by the present application is a method for producing methyl acetate by means of the carbonylation of dimethyl ether. The method comprises: passing dimethyl ether and a feed gas comprising carbon monoxide through a reactor loaded with a solid acid catalyst for reaction so as to produce methyl acetate, the molar ratio of carbon monoxide to dimethyl ether being 0.05:1-0.5:1. The described method has the advantages of a low molar ratio of carbon monoxide to dimethyl ether, a high conversion rate of carbon monoxide, a small gas circulation amount, low operation costs and so on.

Disclosed by the present application is a method for producing methyl acetate by means of the carbonylation of dimethyl ether. The method comprises: passing dimethyl ether and a feed gas comprising carbon monoxide through a reactor loaded with a solid acid catalyst for reaction so as to produce methyl acetate, the molar ratio of carbon monoxide to dimethyl ether being 0.05:1-0.5:1. The described method has the advantages of a low molar ratio of carbon monoxide to dimethyl ether, a high conversion rate of carbon monoxide, a small gas circulation amount, low operation costs and so on.

The present invention provides a method for producing a bifunctional compound having a norbornane skeleton, the method comprising a step of hydroformylating a compound having an olefin with carbon monoxide and hydrogen, wherein the molar ratio of the carbon monoxide to the hydrogen during the reaction is 55/45 or more and 95/5 or less in the hydroformylating step.

The present invention provides a method for producing a bifunctional compound having a norbornane skeleton, the method comprising a step of hydroformylating a compound having an olefin with carbon monoxide and hydrogen, wherein the molar ratio of the carbon monoxide to the hydrogen during the reaction is 55/45 or more and 95/5 or less in the hydroformylating step.

A radiation-sensitive resin composition contains: a polymer having an acid-labile group, a radiation-sensitive acid generator, a compound represented by the following formula (1), and a solvent. In the formula (1), X represents an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom; R.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms; R.sup.2 to R.sup.5 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and optionally two or more of R.sup.2 to R.sup.5 taken together represent an alicyclic structure having 3 to 20 ring atoms or an aliphatic heterocyclic structure having 3 to 20 ring atoms together with the carbon atom to which the two or more of R.sup.2 to R.sup.5 bond; Z.sup.n+ represents a cation having a valency of n; and n is an integer of 1 to 3. ##STR00001##