A highly pure optically active proton pump inhibitor compound can be produced safely and inexpensively in a high yield and enantioselectivity by a method of producing an optically active sulfoxide of Formula 2 or a salt thereof, comprising oxidizing a sulfide of Formula 1 or a salt thereof with hydrogen peroxide using an iron salt in the presence of a chiral ligand of Formula 3; wherein A is CH or N; R.sup.1 is hydrogen atom, an alkyl optionally substituted by halogen(s), or an alkoxy optionally substituted by halogen(s); one to three R.sup.2 may exist, and each of R.sup.2 is independently an alkyl, a dialkylamino, or an alkoxy optionally substituted by halogen(s) or alkoxy(s); each of R.sup.3 is independently hydrogen atom, a halogen, cyano or the like; R.sup.4 is a tertiary alkyl; and * and ** represent respectively R configuration or S configuration.

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The present invention relates to a linear inorganic coordination polymer and a metal complex compound which are prepared in the form of a metal nanostructure having various stereo structures and thus can be used as a catalyst or the like having an excellent activity in preparing a polyalkylene carbonate resin and the like, and a metal nanostructure and a catalyst composition comprising the same. The linear inorganic coordination polymer comprises a repeating unit having a form in which a predetermined oxalic acid derivative is coordinately bonded to a transition metal, and the metal complex compound comprises a plurality of linear inorganic coordination polymer chains and has a structure in which the plurality of polymer chains are linked to each other via a predetermined neutral ligand.

The present invention relates to specific transition metal catalysts and their use in chemical reactions.

Phosphine phosphonate and phenoxyphosphine ligands bearing polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains are used as described herein to produce heterobimetallic catalysts. The ligands can be metallated selectively with palladium or nickel and secondary metal ions to provide well-defined heterobimetallic compounds. These heterobimetallic complexes exhibit accelerated reaction rates and greater thermal stability in olefin polymerization compared to other catalysts.

The present invention relates to catalyst composition for cyclic carbonate production from CO.sub.2 and olefins using halohydrin agent as the co-reactant under mild conditions, which can effectively catalyze the cyclic carbonate synthesis and provides good selectivity to cyclic carbonate, wherein said catalyst composition comprising: a) the metal complex as shown in structure (I):

##STR00001## wherein, M represents transition metal atom; R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 represent independent group selected from hydrogen atom, halogen atom, alkyl group, alkenyl group, alkynyl group, alkoxy group, amine group, phenyl group, benzyl group, cyclic hydrocarbon group comprising hetero atom, perfluoroalkyl group, or nitro group; R.sub.4 represents group selected from alkylene group, cycloalkylene group, or phenylene group; X represents group selected from halogen atom, acetate group, or triflate group; b) the halohydrin agent in at least one solvent; and c) at least one base.

An algae cultivation medium includes a growth medium and at least one of an amine additive and a water-soluble biomimetic catalyst. A related method of increasing carbon shuttling in an algae cultivation medium includes adding at least one of the amine additive and the water-soluble biomimetic catalyst to the algae cultivation medium.

A homogeneous catalyst is provided comprising one or more metals; and at least two metal coordinating ligands wherein the homogeneous catalyst is a multi-ligand metal complex adapted for use with an oxidant in an oxidation reaction to catalytically pretreat lignocellulosic biomass. In one embodiment, the homogenous catalyst is copper (II) 2, 2′ bipyridine ethylenediamine (Cu(bpy)en). Related methods are also disclosed.

The present invention relates to catalyst composition for cyclic carbonate production from CO.sub.2 and epoxides under mild conditions, which can effectively catalyze the cyclic carbonate synthesis and provides good selectivity to cyclic carbonate, wherein said catalyst composition comprising: a) the metal complex as shown in structure (I):

##STR00001## wherein, M represents transition metal atom; R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 represent independent group selected from hydrogen atom, halogen atom, alkyl group, alkenyl group, alkynyl group, alkoxy group, amine group, phenyl group, benzyl group, cyclic hydrocarbon group comprising hetero atom, perfluoroalkyl group, or nitro group; R.sub.4 represents group selected from alkylene group, cycloalkylene group, or phenylene group; X represents group selected from hydrogen atom, acetate group, or triflate group; and b) the organic compound as the co-catalyst selected from compound containing nitrogen, compound of quaternary ammonium salts, or compound of iminium salts.

This application pertains to group 5 metal complexes having the structure of Formula I: and their potential utility in catalyzing amination of polyolefins having alkene groups.amine-

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Biodegradable polymers with advantageous physical and chemical properties are described, as well as methods for making such polymers. In one embodiment, a new chemical synthesis route to technologically important biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB) with high isotacticity and molecular weight required for a practical use is described. The new route can utilize racemic eight-membered cyclic diolide (rac-DL), meso-DL, or a rac-DL and meso-DL mixture, derived from bio-sourced dimethyl succinate, and enantiomeric (R,R)-DL and (S,S)-DL, optically resolved by metal-based catalysts. With a stereoselective racemic molecular catalyst, the ROP of rac-DL under ambient conditions produces rapidly P3HB with essentially perfect isotacticity ([mm]>99%), high crystallinity and melting temperature (T.sub.m=171° C.), as well as high molecular weight and low dispersity (M.sub.n=1.54×10.sup.5 g/mol, Ð=1.01).