The invention relates to mixtures of at least one diphosphinic acid of the formula (I)

##STR00001## in which R.sup.1, R.sup.2 are the same or different and are each independently H, C.sub.1-C.sub.18-alkyl, C.sub.2-C.sub.18-alkenyl, C.sub.6-C.sub.18-aryl, C.sub.7-C.sub.18-alkylaryl, R.sup.5 is C.sub.1-C.sub.18-alkylene, C.sub.2-C.sub.18-alkenylene, C.sub.6-C.sub.18-arylene, C.sub.7-C.sub.18-alkylarylene with at least one dialkylphosphinic acid of the formula (II)

##STR00002## in which R.sup.3, R.sup.4 are the same or different and are each independently C.sub.1-C.sub.18-alkyl, C.sub.2-C.sub.18-alkenyl, C.sub.6-C.sub.18-aryl and/or C.sub.7-C.sub.18-alkylaryl.

The invention also relates to a process for preparing these mixtures and to the use thereof.

The invention relates to a method for producing ethylenedialkylphosphinic acids, esters and salts, and to the use thereof as flame retardants. The claimed method is characterised in that •a) a phosphinic acid source (I) is reacted with olefins (IV) in the presence of catalyst A so as to obtain an alkylphosphonous acid, salt or ester (II) thereof, and •b) the alkylphosphonous acid, salt or ester (II) thereof obtained in this manner is reacted with acetylenic compound (V) in the presence of catalyst B in order to obtain the ethylenedialkylphosphinic acid derivative (III), •catalyst A being transition metals and/or transition metal compounds and/or catalyst systems composed of a transition metal and/or a transition metal compound and at least one ligand •and catalyst B being electromagnetic radiation.

##STR00001##

An organosilicon compound having not more than 200 silicon atoms per molecule is provided. The organosilicon compound is represented by the following average compositional formula (I): Y.sub.aR.sup.1.sub.bSiO.sub.(4-a-b)/2 wherein R.sup.1 is an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, alkenyl group having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, aryl group having 6 to 20 carbon atoms, alkoxy group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or a hydroxyl group; Y is a specific acylphosphinate residue; and subscripts a and b are numbers satisfying the following conditions: 0<a≤2, 0<b≤3, and a≤b. The organosilicon compound is compatible with organopolysiloxanes and is useful as a photo-initiator for various types of photo-curable compositions.

A flame retardant sugar-derived molecule, a process for forming a flame retardant sugar-derived molecule, and an article of manufacture comprising a flame retardant sugar-derived molecule are disclosed. The flame retardant sugar-derived molecule can be synthesized from arabitol, xylitol, arabic acid, or xylonic acid obtained from a bio-based source, and can have at least one phosphoryl or phosphonyl moiety. The process for forming the flame retardant sugar-derived molecule can include reacting arabitol, xylitol, arabic acid, or xylonic acid and a flame retardant phosphorus-based molecule to form the flame retardant sugar-derived molecule.

The invention concerns new types of porous coordination polymers (MOF) and a method for their preparation. MOFs have been prepared through synthesis of salts of trivalent cations M.sup.3+, the source of which are aluminium, chromium, iron or yttrium salts, it is advantageous if of chlorides, nitrates or sulphates, with linkers carrying two or more phosphinic groups under presence of solvent. Linkers are phenylene-1,4-bis(R phosphinic acid) (PBPA) and biphenylene-4,4′-bis(R phosphinic acid) (BBPA). For the prepared MOFs, the structure has been tested using x-ray powder diffraction, specific surface and porousness which have been characterised through adsorption isotherm of nitrogen and further the stability of prepared MOFs has been determined using thermogravimetric analysis. All the prepared MOFs have been stable around 400° C. and have contained mesopores or micropores where hydrogen or CO.sub.2, for example, can be stored.

Flame retardant mixtures comprising as component (A) 30% to 99.9% by weight of dialkylphosphinic salts of the formula (II), a and b may be the same or different and are each independently 1 to 9, and where the carbon chains may be linear, branched or cyclic and M is Mg, Ca, Al, Sb, Sn, Ge, Ti, Fe, Zr, Zn, Ce, Bi, Sr, Mn, Li, Na, K and/or a protonated nitrogen base and m is 1 to 4, as component (B) 0.1% to 70% by weight of alkyl hydroxyalkylphosphinyl organylcarboxylic acid salts and/or ester salts of the formula (I) where R1CyH2y+1 with y=2 to 8, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6 are the same or different and are each independently H, CxH2x+1, CxH2x1, CxH2x3, CxH2xCO2X, CxH2x2CO2X, CxH2x4CO2X, (C2H3CO2X)u and u=0 to 1000000, CO2X, CxH2x(P(O)(OM)R1), CxH2x2(P(O)(OM)R1)(CO2X) and/or CH2CO2X, where, in the R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 and R6 groups, the carbon chains may be linear, branched or cyclic, M is Mg, Ca, Al, Sb, Sn, Ge, Fe, Ti, Zr, Zn, Ce, Bi, Sr, Mn, Li, Na, K, H and/or N-containing cations, x is 1 to 25, X is H, M, CzH2z+1 and z is 1 to 8, with the proviso that at least one of the R2, R3, R4, R5, R6 groups is not H, and the compounds of formula (II) and formula (I) are different compounds.

A flame retardant sugar-derived molecule, a process for forming a flame retardant sugar-derived molecule, and an article of manufacture comprising a flame retardant sugar-derived molecule are disclosed. The flame retardant sugar-derived molecule can be synthesized from arabitol, xylitol, arabic acid, or xylonic acid obtained from a bio-based source, and can have at least one phosphoryl or phosphonyl moiety. The process for forming the flame retardant sugar-derived molecule can include reacting arabitol, xylitol, arabic acid, or xylonic acid and a flame retardant phosphorus-based molecule to form the flame retardant sugar-derived molecule.

A flame retardant sugar-derived molecule, a process for forming a flame retardant sugar-derived molecule, and an article of manufacture comprising a flame retardant sugar-derived molecule are disclosed. The flame retardant sugar-derived molecule can be synthesized from arabitol, xylitol, arabic acid, or xylonic acid obtained from a bio-based source, and can have at least one phosphoryl or phosphonyl moiety. The process for forming the flame retardant sugar-derived molecule can include reacting arabitol, xylitol, arabic acid, or xylonic acid and a flame retardant phosphorus-based molecule to form the flame retardant sugar-derived molecule.

An exemplary embodiment relates to novel protein modulators capable of altering function of the mutant CFTR protein and their use for treating diseases associated with CFTR protein malfunction. The invention provides compositions, pharmaceutical preparations and methods of correcting the cellular alteration of a mutant CFTR protein wherein the CFTR mutation is a mutation F508-CFTR, or another mutation of class II.

An exemplary embodiment relates to novel protein modulators capable of altering function of the mutant CFTR protein and their use for treating diseases associated with CFTR protein malfunction. The invention provides compositions, pharmaceutical preparations and methods of correcting the cellular alteration of a mutant CFTR protein wherein the CFTR mutation is a mutation F508-CFTR, or another mutation of class II.