The invention relates to an onium salt, a liquid composition containing the onium salt and cellulose, and a method for recovering cellulose. The invention makes it possible to provide an onium salt having an extremely high ability to dissolve cellulose at temperatures of 100 C. or lower. It also makes it possible to provide a liquid composition containing this onium salt and cellulose, as a composition suitable for the recovery of cellulose, and a method for recovering cellulose efficiently by using such a liquid composition containing the onium salt and cellulose.

Disclosed herein are palladium-catalyzed dehydrogenation processes of carboxylic acids to make ?, ?-unsaturated carboxylic acids or ?-alkylidene butenolides. The processes allow the chemoselective dehydrogenation of carboxylic acids in the presence of other enolizable functionalities such as ketones, providing reactivity that is inaccessible with existing carbonyl desaturation protocols.

Disclosed herein are palladium-catalyzed dehydrogenation processes of carboxylic acids to make ?, ?-unsaturated carboxylic acids or ?-alkylidene butenolides. The processes allow the chemoselective dehydrogenation of carboxylic acids in the presence of other enolizable functionalities such as ketones, providing reactivity that is inaccessible with existing carbonyl desaturation protocols.

An object of the present invention is to conduct a search for a compound to be arranged at a terminal of a peptide nucleic acid effective in detecting a single nucleotide polymorphism. Provided is a tolan compound represented by the following formula (1):

##STR00001## wherein R.sup.1 represents a phenyl group or a naphthyl group, the phenyl group may have 1 to 5 substituents that are identical to or different from each other, and the naphthyl group may have 1 to 7 substituents that are identical to or different from each other.

An object of the present invention is to conduct a search for a compound to be arranged at a terminal of a peptide nucleic acid effective in detecting a single nucleotide polymorphism. Provided is a tolan compound represented by the following formula (1):

##STR00001## wherein R.sup.1 represents a phenyl group or a naphthyl group, the phenyl group may have 1 to 5 substituents that are identical to or different from each other, and the naphthyl group may have 1 to 7 substituents that are identical to or different from each other.

[Problem to be Solved] To provide a method for preparing a catalyst that has high activity and exhibits high durability with reduced elution of a catalyst metal when a liquid-phase oxidation reaction is brought about without combined use of an alkali; and a method for producing an oxide highly efficiently by use of the catalyst. The method for preparing a catalyst has the following Steps 1, 2 and 3. Step 1: preparing an aqueous dispersion of a catalyst carrying Pt on activated carbon; Step 2: preparing an aqueous solution containing Bi in an ionic state; and Step 3: adding the aqueous dispersion obtained in Step 1 to the aqueous solution obtained in Step 2.

[Problem to be Solved] To provide a method for preparing a catalyst that has high activity and exhibits high durability with reduced elution of a catalyst metal when a liquid-phase oxidation reaction is brought about without combined use of an alkali; and a method for producing an oxide highly efficiently by use of the catalyst. The method for preparing a catalyst has the following Steps 1, 2 and 3. Step 1: preparing an aqueous dispersion of a catalyst carrying Pt on activated carbon; Step 2: preparing an aqueous solution containing Bi in an ionic state; and Step 3: adding the aqueous dispersion obtained in Step 1 to the aqueous solution obtained in Step 2.

The invention comprises a new process for the preparation of GalNAc derivatives of the formula I

##STR00001##

wherein n is an integer between 0 and 10 and its salts, corresponding enantiomers and/or optical isomers thereof. The GalNAc acid derivative of formula I can be used for the preparation of therapeutically valuable GalNAc oligonucleotide conjugates.

The invention comprises a new process for the preparation of GalNAc derivatives of the formula I

##STR00001##

wherein n is an integer between 0 and 10 and its salts, corresponding enantiomers and/or optical isomers thereof. The GalNAc acid derivative of formula I can be used for the preparation of therapeutically valuable GalNAc oligonucleotide conjugates.

Provided herein are inter alia novel compositions and methods having application in the field of enhanced oil recovery. In particular, the large hydrophobe compounds and mixtures thereof presented herein can be used, inter alia, for the recovery of a large range of crude oil compositions from challenging reservoirs.