The present disclosure provides methods to produce para-xylene, toluene, and other compounds from renewable sources (e.g., cellulose, hemicellulose) and ethylene in the presence of an acid, such as a Lewis acid. For example, cellulose and/or hemicellulose may be converted into 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) and 2-methylfuran, which may be converted into para-xylene and toluene, respectively. In particular, para-xylene can then be oxidized to form terephthalic acid.

Methods for selectively hydrogenating substituted arenes with a supported organometallic hydrogenating catalyst are provided. An exemplary method includes contacting a substituted arene-containing reaction stream with hydrogen in the presence of a supported organometallic hydrogenating catalyst under reaction conditions effective to selectively hydrogenate the substituted arenes to the cis isomer with high selectivity. In this method, the supported organometallic hydrogenating catalyst includes a catalytically active organometallic species and a Brnsted acidic sulfated metal oxide support.

An M-NHC catalyst, in which M represents Pd or Pt and NHC represents an N-heterocyclic carbene group, including at least one M atom linked to at least one N-heterocyclic carbene ligand, and the method of using the M-NHC catalyst for selectively preparing oxalates or oxamides, from carbon monoxide, an oxidant, in particular molecular oxygen or air, and an alcohol or an amine respectively, optionally in the presence of a promoter.

Disclosed herein are synthetic methods for improving the solubility of metallocenes such as those that contain perfluorobenzyl(indene) groups. These methods can include alkylation of the perfluoroaryl ring of metallocene precursors using alkyl lithium reagents in a one-pot reaction. Further, these methods can be employed without altering the equipment or conditions of the reaction, without isolation of new intermediates, and while generally retaining desired catalyst characteristics.

Catalysts and methods for transformation of glycerol and a carbon feedstock, such as CO.sub.2, a carbonate salt or a bicarbonate salt, are described herein. Homogeneous catalysts include compounds of formula M[NHC-R-linker]aLbXc, where M is a transition metal, NHC is an N-heterocyclic carbene ligand, R is an alkyl or aryl group, linker is a polar group, L is a neutral ligand, X is an anionic ligand, a ranges from 1-3, b ranges from 0-3, and c ranges from 0-3. Heterogeneous catalysts include a solid support with a catalytically active compound immobilized on the solid support, where the catalytically active compound has the formula M[NHC-R-linker]aLbXc where M is a transition metal, NHC is an N-heterocyclic carbene ligand, R is an alkyl or aryl group; linker is a polar group, L is a neutral ligand, X is an anionic ligand, a ranges from 1-3, b ranges from 0-3, and c ranges from 0-3.

A self-metathesis process for the production of unsaturated dicarboxylic fatty diacids and/or unsaturated dicarboxylic fatty diesters, wherein unsaturated carboxylic fatty acids and/or esters of unsaturated carboxylic fatty acids are reacted in the presence of at least one defined ruthenium based catalyst compound. A catalyst enhancer compound selected from a sacrificial catalyst or a non-catalyst enhancer may also be used. The process exhibits improved reaction times and/or the catalyst can be used at very low concentrations.

The subject of the invention are new sterically activated chelating ruthenium complexes with the formula 1a, easy to obtain by efficient chemical reactions. The invention also concerns the method of obtaining and using ruthenium complexes with formula 1a as precatalysts and/or catalysts in a wide spectrum of known olefin metathesis reactions.

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The present invention relates to a new process for the synthesis of 2,3,4,5,6,7-substituted indenes, which are useful precursors for the formation of certain ansa-metallocene catalysts.

An object of the present invention is to provide a process for producing an octadiene from 2,7-octadienyl formate in an industrially useful manner in which palladium can maintain its catalytic activity for a long period of time. More specifically, the present invention relates to a process for producing an octadiene which includes the steps of continuously adding 2,7-octadienyl formate into a reaction system in which a mixture of a palladium compound, a tertiary organophosphorus compound and a solvent is present; and subjecting the 2,7-octadienyl formate to reaction while continuously distilling off a reaction product containing the resulting octadiene out of the reaction system.

A process of metathesizing a feedstock in the presence of a metathesis catalyst and at least one catalyst enhancer. The catalyst enhancer can be selected from a sacrificial catalyst or a non-catalyst enhancer. The process exhibits improved reaction times and/or the metathesis catalyst can be used at very low concentrations.