Disclosed is a cyclopropanation process comprising the step of reacting an alkene compound having at least one carbon-carbon double bond with at least one dihaloalkane. The reaction is carried out in the presence of (i) particulate metal Zn, (ii) catalytically effective amount of particulate metal Cu or a salt thereof, (iii) at least one haloalkylsilane, and (iv) at least one solvent.

The presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) relates generally to oxidative oxidized reaction products made from the mechanocatalytic oxidative depolymerization of lignin. More particularly, but without limitation, the mechanocatalytic oxidative depolymerization of lignin is performed in a non-aqueous/non-solvent based and solvent-free process, i.e., via a solid-solid mechanocatalytic oxidative reaction methodology. In one particular embodiment, the process of making such oxidative oxidized reaction products includes, without limitation, the step of mechanocatalytically reacting an oxidation catalyst with lignin or a lignin-containing material. The oxidative reaction products obtained from the process include, for example, at least one of vanillin, and syringealdehyde, vanillic acid, and syringic acid.

The presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) relates generally to oxidative oxidized reaction products made from the mechanocatalytic oxidative depolymerization of lignin. More particularly, but without limitation, the mechanocatalytic oxidative depolymerization of lignin is performed in a non-aqueous/non-solvent based and solvent-free process, i.e., via a solid-solid mechanocatalytic oxidative reaction methodology. In one particular embodiment, the process of making such oxidative oxidized reaction products includes, without limitation, the step of mechanocatalytically reacting an oxidation catalyst with lignin or a lignin-containing material. The oxidative reaction products obtained from the process include, for example, at least one of vanillin, and syringealdehyde, vanillic acid, and syringic acid.

The present invention refers to aryl beta diketones of the formula (I)

##STR00001## wherein Y, R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 have the meaning R.sup.1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alkyl, hydroxyl, methoxy, CF.sub.3 and F; R.sup.2 is selected from the group consisting of methyl and ethyl; R.sup.3 is selected from the group consisting of methyl and ethyl; and Y is a bivalent residue selected from the group consisting of C(O); CH.sub.2CH.sub.2C(O); CR.sup.IR.sup.IIC(O), wherein R.sup.I and R.sup.II are independently selected from hydrogen and methyl; and CHR.sup.IIICHR.sup.IVC(O), wherein R.sup.III and R.sup.IV are independently selected from hydrogen and methyl with the proviso, that R.sup.IIIR.sup.IV are hydrogen or either R.sup.III or R.sup.IV is methyl. The invention further refers to fragrance compositions and fragranced articles comprising them.

In a cross coupling reaction, in a case where a halogen atom is selected as the leaving group of the raw material compound, a harmful halogen waste forms as a by-product after the reaction, and disposal of the waste liquid is complicated and environmental burden is high. In a carbon-hydrogen activation cross coupling reaction which requires no halogen atom as the leaving group, although no halogen waste forms as a by-product, the reaction substrate is considerably restricted, and the reaction remains a limited molecular construction method. A method for producing an aromatic compound, which comprises subjecting an aromatic nitro compound and a boronic acid compound to a cross coupling reaction in the presence of a metal catalyst.

In a cross coupling reaction, in a case where a halogen atom is selected as the leaving group of the raw material compound, a harmful halogen waste forms as a by-product after the reaction, and disposal of the waste liquid is complicated and environmental burden is high. In a carbon-hydrogen activation cross coupling reaction which requires no halogen atom as the leaving group, although no halogen waste forms as a by-product, the reaction substrate is considerably restricted, and the reaction remains a limited molecular construction method. A method for producing an aromatic compound, which comprises subjecting an aromatic nitro compound and a boronic acid compound to a cross coupling reaction in the presence of a metal catalyst.

The present invention discloses a process for preparing perhydrofluorene or alkyl-substituted perhydrofluorene, comprising the steps of: (1) reacting a phenolic compound or an aromatic hydrocarbon compound or an aromatic ketone compound or an aromatic ether compound with a benzyl compound to carry out an alkylation reaction in the presence of a first catalyst, thereby to produce substituted or unsubstituted diphenyl methane, wherein the first catalyst is an acidic catalyst; and (2) reacting the substituted or unsubstituted diphenyl methane with hydrogen gas to carry out an hydrogenation reaction or a hydrodeoxygenation reaction, thereby to produce perhydrofluorene or alkyl-substituted perhydrofluorene, wherein the second catalyst is a physical mixture of a metal catalyst and an acidic catalyst or a metal catalyst loaded on an acidic catalyst.

The present invention discloses a process for preparing perhydrofluorene or alkyl-substituted perhydrofluorene, comprising the steps of: (1) reacting a phenolic compound or an aromatic hydrocarbon compound or an aromatic ketone compound or an aromatic ether compound with a benzyl compound to carry out an alkylation reaction in the presence of a first catalyst, thereby to produce substituted or unsubstituted diphenyl methane, wherein the first catalyst is an acidic catalyst; and (2) reacting the substituted or unsubstituted diphenyl methane with hydrogen gas to carry out an hydrogenation reaction or a hydrodeoxygenation reaction, thereby to produce perhydrofluorene or alkyl-substituted perhydrofluorene, wherein the second catalyst is a physical mixture of a metal catalyst and an acidic catalyst or a metal catalyst loaded on an acidic catalyst.

Disclosed is a cyclopropanation process comprising the step of reacting an alkene compound having at least one carbon-carbon double bond with at least one dihaloalkane. The reaction is carried out in the presence of (i) particulate metal Zn, (ii) catalytically effective amount of particulate metal Cu or a salt thereof, (iii) at least one haloalkylsilane, and (iv) at least one solvent.

Disclosed is a cyclopropanation process comprising the step of reacting an alkene compound having at least one carbon-carbon double bond with at least one dihaloalkane. The reaction is carried out in the presence of (i) particulate metal Zn, (ii) catalytically effective amount of particulate metal Cu or a salt thereof, (iii) at least one haloalkylsilane, and (iv) at least one solvent.