The present invention relates to a process for preparing a compound of 5 or 5*, or a mixture thereof, and/or a compound of 14 or 14*, or a mixture thereof, that is useful as an antifungal agent. In particular, the invention seeks to provide new methodology for preparing compounds 7, 7* and 11, 11* and substituted derivatives thereof.

A supported catalyst for aldehyde coupling reaction, comprising a carrier having supported thereon a catalyst comprising at least one azolium compound selected from the group consisting of a thiazolium salt, an imidazolium salt, a benzimidazolium salt and a triazolium salt, the azolium compound having, at a nitrogen atom thereof, a substituent selected from the group consisting of an aliphatic group having 6 or more carbon atoms and an aromatic group having 6 or more carbon atoms.

A method for easily producing a heterogeneous catalyst having excellent catalytic activity at a low cost is provided. The heterogeneous catalyst is used for the purpose of synthesizing a cyclic carbonate by reacting an epoxide and carbon dioxide. A catalyst obtained by this production method and a method for synthesizing a cyclic carbonate with use of this catalyst are also provided.

Disclosed herein is a method for producing silica gel-immobilized phosphonium salt catalysts including the steps of (a) reacting a silane compound with a silica gel in the presence of xylene, to obtain a catalyst precursor having a haloalkyl group or a haloaryl group, wherein the silane compound has a haloalkyl group or a haloaryl group, and a proportion of the silane compound is from 0.001 to 0.06 mol relative to 1 mol of the silica gel, and (b) reacting the catalyst precursor with a tertiary phosphine in xylene, to obtain a catalyst for synthesizing a cyclic carbonate, in which the silane compound is represented by formula (1), and the tertiary phosphine is represented by formula (2):
XR.sup.1Si(OR.sup.2).sub.3(1) ##STR00001##

An RMA crosslinkable composition having at least one crosslinkable component including reactive components A and B each including at least 2 reactive groups, the at least 2 reactive groups of component A being acidic protons (CH) in activated methylene or methine groups and the at least 2 reactive groups of component B are activated unsaturated groups (CC) and a base catalyst (C) which reactive components A and B crosslink by Real Michael Addition (RMA) reaction under action of the base catalyst, characterised in that the at least one crosslinkable component including reactive components A and B in the composition have a total hydroxy number of less than 60, preferably less than 40 and more preferably less than 20 mg KOH/g solids. Further, specific resins A and B having a low hydroxy number for use in RMA cross-linkable compositions and a process for the manufacture thereof.

Provided is a catalyst for an oxygen reduction reaction, including an alloy in which two metals are mixed, in which the corresponding alloy is an alloy of iridium (Ir); and silicon (Si), phosphorus (P), germanium (Ge), or arsenic (As). The corresponding catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction may have excellent price competitiveness while exhibiting a catalytic activity which is equal to or similar to that of an existing Pt catalyst. Accordingly, when the catalyst is used, the amount of platinum catalyst having low price competitiveness may be reduced, so that a production unit cost of a system to which the corresponding catalyst is applied may be lowered.

Catalysts and catalytic processes for the synthesis of acrylic acid and other ,-unsaturated carboxylic acids and their salts, which are carried out in a diluent or in the absence of a diluent. In an aspect, ethylene and CO.sub.2 can be contacted with a Group 8-11 transition metal precursor compound or a Group 8-11 transition metal metalalactone compound in the presence of a metal-treated chemically-modified solid oxide (MT-CMSO) or a metal-treated solid oxide (MT-SO), to form a metal acrylate. As the catalytic activity wanes in either the presence or absence of a diluent, pressure cyclingthat is, pressurizing the reaction system with CO.sub.2 and an olefin such as ethylene for a time period, releasing the pressure, then re-pressurizing with CO.sub.2 and ethylenecan rejuvenate the catalyst and restore its declining catalytic activity.

Provided is a method for producing a cyclic carbonate obtained by reacting epoxide and carbon dioxide in the presence of a quaternary onium salt as a counter ion or a quaternary phosphonium salt having a halogenated anion as a counter ion, or in the presence of a solid catalyst obtained by immobilizing the quaternary onium salt onto a carrier, wherein an organohalogen compound containing at least one halogen atom in one molecule is added to the reaction system.

An RMA crosslinkable composition for making thick coating layers having at least one crosslinkable component comprising reactive components A and B each including at least 2 reactive groups wherein the at least 2 reactive groups of component A are acidic protons (CH) in activated methylene or methine groups, and the at least 2 reactive groups of component B are activated unsaturated groups (CC), to achieve crosslinking by Real Michael Addition reaction, the composition further including a base catalyst (C), an XH group containing component (D) that is also a Michael addition donor reactable with component B under the action of catalyst C, wherein X is C, N, P, O or S and a sag control component (E). A crosslinkable composition is also disclosed for preparing thick coating layers having a dry thickness of at least 70 mu having a surface appearance and hardness of the resulting cured composition.

A method for the methylation of amines, amides and imines comprises the step of reacting these compounds with CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 in the presence of a Ruthenium-phosphine complex.