Disclosed herein are processes for preparing certain intermediates useful in the synthesis of 3-fluoro-5-(((1S,2aR)-1,3,3,4,4-pentafluoro-2a-hydroxy-2,2a,3,4-tetrahydro-1H-cyclopenta[cd]inden-7-yl)oxy)benzonitrile or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

A catalyst includes a carrier, and a metal obtained by reducing a metal ion supported on the carrier 1) in a supercritical state or 2) in a polar organic solvent, wherein the carrier is an inorganic porous body having a hierarchical porous structure. By employing the catalyst, it is possible to exhibit better catalytic activity than a conventional catalyst. Heat generation and spontaneous ignition are prevented because no organic porous body is used.

A catalyst includes a carrier, and a metal obtained by reducing a metal ion supported on the carrier 1) in a supercritical state or 2) in a polar organic solvent, wherein the carrier is an inorganic porous body having a hierarchical porous structure. By employing the catalyst, it is possible to exhibit better catalytic activity than a conventional catalyst. Heat generation and spontaneous ignition are prevented because no organic porous body is used.

Disclosed are a nitrogen-doped hierarchical-porous carbon-loaded nano-Pd catalyst and a preparation method thereof. The preparation method includes preparing nitrogen-doped hierarchical-porous carbon, mixing the nitrogen-doped hierarchical-porous carbon with water, adjusting a pH value of the mixed solution to be alkaline, mixing the mixed solution with a Pd metal precursor aqueous solution, and then adding a reducing agent to obtain the nitrogen-doped hierarchical-porous carbon-loaded nano-Pd catalyst after reduction. The prepared nitrogen-doped hierarchical-porous carbon-loaded nano-Pd catalyst includes a nitrogen-doped porous carbon material carrier with hierarchical pores and Pd metal nanoparticles loaded in the hierarchical pores of the carrier. The Pd metal nanoparticles have a size of 2˜14 nm and a regular polyhedron shape. The nitrogen-doped hierarchical-porous carbon-loaded nano-Pd catalyst has excellent catalytic performance, especially has ultra-high conversion rate, selectivity and cycle stability in the selective hydrogenation reaction of unsaturated ketones, and is a key to open a new synthetic route of vitamin E.

The present invention relates to a transition metal complex having a PNNP4 ligand, which is easy to manufacture and handle and is relatively inexpensively available, and a method for manufacturing the same, as well as a method using this transition metal complex as a catalyst for hydrogenation reduction of ketones, esters and amides to manufacture corresponding alcohols, aldehydes, hemiacetals and hemiaminals, a method using this transition metal complex as a catalyst for oxidation of alcohols, hemiacetals and hemiaminals to manufacture corresponding carbonyl compounds, and a method using this transition metal complex as a catalyst for dehydrogenation condensation between alcohols and amines to manufacture alkylamines.

The present invention relates to a transition metal complex having a PNNP4 ligand, which is easy to manufacture and handle and is relatively inexpensively available, and a method for manufacturing the same, as well as a method using this transition metal complex as a catalyst for hydrogenation reduction of ketones, esters and amides to manufacture corresponding alcohols, aldehydes, hemiacetals and hemiaminals, a method using this transition metal complex as a catalyst for oxidation of alcohols, hemiacetals and hemiaminals to manufacture corresponding carbonyl compounds, and a method using this transition metal complex as a catalyst for dehydrogenation condensation between alcohols and amines to manufacture alkylamines.

The invention relates to a process for the dehydrogenation of a feedstock comprising ethanol, using at least one multitubular reactor advantageously comprising a plurality of tubes comprising at least one dehydrogenation catalyst, and a calender, said feedstock being introduced into the tubes in gas form, at an inlet temperature of greater than or equal to 240° C., a pressure between 0.1 and 1.0 MPa, and a WWH between 2 and 15 h.sup.−1, wherein a heat-transfer fluid circulates in said calender at a flow rate such that the weight ratio of said heat-transfer fluid relative to said feedstock is greater than or equal to 1.0, and such that said heat-transfer fluid is introduced into said calender in gas form at an inlet temperature of greater than or equal to 260° C. and at an inlet pressure of greater than or equal to 0.10 MPa, and less than or equal to 1.10 MPa, and leaves the calender at least partly in liquid form.

In the method of the present invention, 1,3-butadiene is produced by vaporizing an ethanol feedstock in a vaporizer (104), feeding the resulting into two or more parallel first reactors (108) to convert the ethanol to acetaldehyde in the presence of a first catalyst, supplying the resulting intermediate gas to a second reactor (110) to convert the ethanol and acetaldehyde to 1,3-butadiene in the presence of a second catalyst, purifying the resulting crude gas containing 1,3-butadiene by a gas-liquid separator (112), a first distillation column (114), a fourth reactor (116), a second distillation column (118), and mixing one of both of a part of the ethanol-containing gas and an acetaldehyde-containing gas obtained in the second distillation column (118) are mixed with the intermediate gas, thereby adjusting an ethanol/acetaldehyde molar ratio in the intermediate gas to 1 to 100.

In the method of the present invention, 1,3-butadiene is produced by vaporizing an ethanol feedstock in a vaporizer (104), feeding the resulting into two or more parallel first reactors (108) to convert the ethanol to acetaldehyde in the presence of a first catalyst, supplying the resulting intermediate gas to a second reactor (110) to convert the ethanol and acetaldehyde to 1,3-butadiene in the presence of a second catalyst, purifying the resulting crude gas containing 1,3-butadiene by a gas-liquid separator (112), a first distillation column (114), a fourth reactor (116), a second distillation column (118), and mixing one of both of a part of the ethanol-containing gas and an acetaldehyde-containing gas obtained in the second distillation column (118) are mixed with the intermediate gas, thereby adjusting an ethanol/acetaldehyde molar ratio in the intermediate gas to 1 to 100.

The present invention relates to a process for preparing a poly(meth)acrylic acid, characterized in that a (meth)acrylic acid-containing process stream from (meth)acrolein synthesis is subjected to free-radical polymerization. The invention also relates to the esterification of the polymer obtained to give a homopolymer or copolymer ester, and to the use thereof as additive, flow improver and water reducer.