Method for preparing 1-hydroxy-2-methyl-3-pentanone (I) by reacting formaldehyde with diethyl ketone in a reactor in the presence of water and a basic component at a temperature of 50 to 150 C. and a pressure of 0.2 to 10 MPa abs, in which the basic component used is a trialkylamine from the group comprising trimethylamine, N,N-dimethylethylamine, N,N-diethylmethylamine, triethylamine, N,N-dimethyl-n-propylamine, N-ethyl-N-methyl-n-propylamine, N,N-dimethylisopropylamine, N-ethyl-N-methylisopropylamine, N,N-dimethyl-n-butylamine, N,N-dimethylisobutylamine and N,N-dimethyl-sec-butylamine, and from the reaction mixture obtained, trialkylamine as low boiler and a bottom product comprising 1-hydroxy-2-methyl-3-pentanone (I) as high boiler are separated in a distillation apparatus, wherein the distillation apparatus is operated at a top pressure of 0.2 to 1 MPa abs.

Methods of selectively forming substituted pyrazines are provided. Methods of the present invention can include receiving a reaction solution including at least one carbon source and at least one nitrogen source, and heating the reaction solution to a reaction temperature and holding the reaction solution at the reaction temperature for a time sufficient to produce a reaction product comprising at least one substituted pyrazine. The carbon source can be selected from the group consisting of hydroxy ketone(s), sugar(s) treated with at least one buffer, and combinations thereof. Tobacco products incorporating substituted pyrazines are also provided.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a 1,3-dioxan-5-one by a short-step and simple method from raw materials that are procurable easily and inexpensively, using, as a raw material, a 1,3-dioxane that is a mixture containing a 1,3-dioxolane. Provided is a method for producing a 1,3-dioxan-5-one, including using a mixture of a compound represented by the following formula (I) and a compound represented by the following formula (II) as a raw material, the method including a step of oxidizing the mixture under an oxidative esterification condition (step 2):

##STR00001##

wherein, in the formulae (I) and (II), R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a monovalent hydrocarbon group, or RI and R.sup.2 are bonded to each other to form a divalent hydrocarbon group for constituting a ring structure.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a 1,3-dioxan-5-one by a short-step and simple method from raw materials that are procurable easily and inexpensively, using, as a raw material, a 1,3-dioxane that is a mixture containing a 1,3-dioxolane. Provided is a method for producing a 1,3-dioxan-5-one, including using a mixture of a compound represented by the following formula (I) and a compound represented by the following formula (II) as a raw material, the method including a step of oxidizing the mixture under an oxidative esterification condition (step 2):

##STR00001##

wherein, in the formulae (I) and (II), R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a monovalent hydrocarbon group, or RI and R.sup.2 are bonded to each other to form a divalent hydrocarbon group for constituting a ring structure.

The present invention is to provide a method of producing a glyceric acid ester which is easy for production and high in yield, and in which a pyridine to be used for the reaction is easily reused. Provided is a method of producing a compound represented by the following formula (II), including a step of oxidatively esterifying Compound A represented by the following formula (I) with Compound B selected from an organic nitroxyl radical, an N-hydroxy form thereof, and a salt containing an oxo ammonium cation of them, and an oxidizing agent in the presence of a pyridine having an alkyl substituent, wherein the use amount of Compound B is 0.0001 or more and 0.1 or less in terms of a molar ratio relative to Compound A:

##STR00001##

wherein, in the formulae (I) and (II), R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a monovalent hydrocarbon group, or R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are bonded to each other to form a divalent hydrocarbon group for constituting a ring structure.

The present invention relates to uses of vanadium to convert aldehydes and ozonides into their respective acids and/or ketones. More particularly, this invention relates to the oxidative work-ups following ozonolysis using vanadium during ozonolysis, and using vanadium to oxidize aldehydes in general. The invention also relates to methods comprising the ozonolysis of oleyl alcohol in the presence of either an acid or an alcohol.

The present invention relates to uses of vanadium to convert aldehydes and ozonides into their respective acids and/or ketones. More particularly, this invention relates to the oxidative work-ups following ozonolysis using vanadium during ozonolysis, and using vanadium to oxidize aldehydes in general. The invention also relates to methods comprising the ozonolysis of oleyl alcohol in the presence of either an acid or an alcohol.

The present invention describes a process for production of neopentyl glycol (NPG) from formaldehyde (FD) and isobutyraldehyde (IBD). FD and IBD first react to form hydroxypivaldehyde (HPD) in an aldol condensation step, then HPD is hydrogenated to form NPG in a hydrogenation step. The aldol condensation step is performed using a solid catalyst such as an ion exchange resin catalyst, which can be easily separated from the reaction product. The feed to the aldol condensation step is made homogeneous by adjusting the ratio of IBD, FD, and water in the feed or by adding a solvent that is miscible with both IBD and water. High purity NPG is recovered from the product of the hydrogenation step by a suitable method such as crystallization.

The present invention describes a process for production of neopentyl glycol (NPG) from formaldehyde (FD) and isobutyraldehyde (IBD). FD and IBD first react to form hydroxypivaldehyde (HPD) in an aldol condensation step, then HPD is hydrogenated to form NPG in a hydrogenation step. The aldol condensation step is performed using a solid catalyst such as an ion exchange resin catalyst, which can be easily separated from the reaction product. The feed to the aldol condensation step is made homogeneous by adjusting the ratio of IBD, FD, and water in the feed or by adding a solvent that is miscible with both IBD and water. High purity NPG is recovered from the product of the hydrogenation step by a suitable method such as crystallization.

The invention relates to the field of petrochemistry, and specifically to a method for synthesizing high-octane oxygen containing components of motor fuel. The objects of the invention consist in variants of a method for synthesizing high-octane oxygen-containing components of motor fuel from olefin-containing gas mixtures via oxidative non-catalytic conversions using nitrous oxide, and the subsequent condensation and hydrogenation of the produced oxygenates using heterogeneous catalysts. The high-octane components according to the proposed method consist in a mixture of carbonyl compounds (ketones, aldehydes, hydroxy ketones, hydroxy aldehydes) C.sub.2-C.sub.9 and/or branched hydrocarbons C.sub.5-C.sub.9 and/or alcohols in different ratios. Depending on the production method variant, the octane number of a mixture of the proposed high-octane components consists in a value between 100 and 130 RON. The technical result consists in broadening the resource base for the production of high-octane gasolines and of a variety of environmentally-friendly high-octane additives.