The invention provides branched trialkylamine oxides with improved properties. The trialkylamine oxides of the invention produced from branched trialkylamines, in one embodiment, can be made using certain branched C10-12 enals and aldehydes. The invention also provides an trialkylamine oxide having the formula: ##STR00001##
wherein R5, R6 and R7 are independently at least one of C3H7, C2H5, CH3, or H, or mixtures thereof; and wherein R5 and R6 are not H at the same time. In one embodiment, the trialkylamine oxides of the invention can be useful in making various products, for example, as surfactants.

The present invention provides a process for preparing isocyanurate from diisocyanate, in which i) prior to the reaction the peroxide content of the diisocyanate to be used is determined, and thereafter ii) a) if the determined peroxide content is greater than 10 mmol/kg, the diisocyanate is subjected to distillative purification until the determined peroxide content is less than or equal to 10 mmol/kg, orb) if the determined peroxide content is less than or equal to 10 mmol/kg, no further action is taken, and iii) distilled diisocyanate with respect to a) and/or untreated diisocyanate with respect to b) is subsequently converted to isocyanurate.

The present invention provides a catalyst system for producing cyclic carbonates from carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) and epoxide-based compounds comprising: a pre-catalyst; and a co-catalyst wherein said pre catalyst is BiCl.sub.3 and said co-catalyst is selected from tetra-n-butylammonium bromide (TBAB), tetra-n-butylammonium iodide (TBAI), tetra-n-butylphosphonium bromide (PBu.sub.4Br), tetra-n-butylphosphonium iodide (PBu.sub.4I) or mixtures thereof.

An amide/iminium zwitterion catalyst has a catalyst pocket size that promotes transesterification and dehydrative esterification. The amide/iminium zwitterions are easily prepared by reacting aziridines with aminopyridines. The reaction can be applied a wide variety of esterification processes including the large-scale synthesis of biodiesel. The amide/iminium zwitterions allow the avoidance of strongly basic or acidic condition and avoidance of metal contamination in the products. Reactions are carried out at ambient or only modestly elevated temperatures. The amide/iminium zwitterion catalyst is easily recycled and reactions proceed in high to quantitative yields.

An object of a first aspect of the present invention is to provide a radical generating catalyst that can generate (produce) radicals under mild conditions. In order to achieve the above object, a first radical generating catalyst according to the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it includes ammonium and/or a salt thereof. A second radical generating catalyst according to the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it includes an organic compound having Lewis acidic properties and/or Brnsted acidic properties.

The present disclosure discloses the preparation and application of magnetic metallic oxide cross-linked acidic polyionic liquid, belonging to the technical field of solid acid catalysis. The catalyst prepared by the present disclosure has good Lewis acid site and Brnsted acid site, and has the characteristics of high speed, high efficiency, environment friendliness and the like when catalyzing preparation of furfural from xylose. The catalyst has the advantages of easy separation, multiple cycles of recycling and the like, and is green and pollution-free. The magnetic metal oxide cross-linked acidic polyionic liquid prepared by using the present disclosure has the characteristics of high speed, high efficiency, environment friendliness and the like when catalyzing preparation of furfural from xylose, and meanwhile, the catalyst has the advantages of easy separation, multiple cycles of recycling and the like, and is green and pollution-free.

A purification method of desflurane (difluoromethyl-1,2,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl ether of the formula (1)) includes bringing a mixture containing desflurane and a trihalomethane into contact with a base in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst, thereby decomposing the trihalomethane. By this method, only the trihalometane contained as a by-product in the desflurane is decomposed without causing decomposition of the desflurane, whereby the desflurane is obtained with high purity. ##STR00001##

This invention relates to a process for preparing a calixarene compound by reacting a phenolic compound and an aldehyde in the presence of at least one nitrogen-containing base as a catalyst to form the calixarene compound. The invention also relates to processes for high-yield, high solid-content production of a calixarene compound, with high selectivity toward a high-purity calix[8]arene compound, without carrying out a recrystallization step.

Methods of post-polymerization modification of a polymer are provided herein. The present methods comprise the step of reacting a polymer with at least one nucleophile in a nucleophilic substitution reaction performed without a solvent to produce a functionalized polymer. The nucleophile can be selected from the group consisting of thioacetate, phenoxide, alkoxide, carboxylate, thiolate, thiocarboxylate, dithiocarboxylate, thiourea, thiocarbamate, dithiocarbamate, xanthate, thiocyanate. Nucleophilic substitution reaction can be performed in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst. Nucleophilic substitution reaction can also be performed via a two-step in-situ reactive mixing process with the initial formation of the polymer-amine ionomer (polymer-NR.sub.3.sup.+Br) which catalyzes the subsequent nucleophilic substitution with a second nucleophile to form a bi-functional polymer.

A method for producing a carbodiimide compound, comprising a carbodiimide production step of reacting an aliphatic tertiary isocyanate compound (A) in the presence of an organic alkali metal compound (B) having Lewis basicity.