Basf Aktiengesellschaft

Bernhard Schulz

Joachim Paust

Udo Rheude

Paul Grafen

Rolf Hartmuth Fischer

Eckhard Hickmann

Juergen Frank

Joachim U Schneider

Hans-Ulrich Scholz

Hans Grassner

Hansgeorg Ernst

Walter Dobler

Kai-Uwe Baldenius

Wolfgang Krause

Harald Laas

Bernhard Bockstiegel

Wolfram Burst

Heinz Etzrodt

Sigberg Pfohl

Heinz Nohe

Wulf Kaiser

Peter Munster

Hubert Tiefenbacher

Peter Jaeger

Peter Paul Hoppe

Helmut Glietenberg

Peter Schmitt

Otto Worz

Arno Kochner

Armin Bertram

Gunter Dauwel

Henning Kroesche

Werner Reif

A process for preparing .alpha.-tocopherol or .alpha.-tocopheryl acetate by reacting 2,3,5-trimethylhydroquinone with isophytol or phytol in the presence of a zinc halide condensation catalyst and a proton donor in a solvent with or without subsequent esterification with acetic anhydride, which comprises

Preparation of .alpha.-tocopherol or .alpha.-tocopheryl acetate by

A process for preparing polyenecarbonyl compounds having a high all-E content and their acetals or ketals by aldol condensation or Horner-Emmons reaction comprises carrying out the reaction, for the purposes of the preferred formation of a double bond of E configuration and in order to maintain the E configuration of the double bonds in the stating compounds as completely as possible, in the presence of oxygen or an oxygen-inert gas mixture or nitric oxide or a nitric oxide-inert gas mixture and/or in the presence of specific stable radicals and/or in the presence of quinones or quinone derivatives.

Preparation of polyenecarbonyl compounds having a high content of the

A process of preparing symmetric C.sub.40 -carotenoids by reacting a C.sub.15 -triphenylphosphonium salt of the formula ##STR1## and a 2,5-bis(1,1-dialkoxy-2-propyl)-2,5-dihydrofuran to form a reaction product containing a diacetyl and a triphenylphosphonium salt, adding a strong base to the reaction product to convert the triphenylphosphonium salt to a carbenium ion, hydrolyzing the diacetyl to a dialdehyde, subjecting the dialdehyde and the carbenium ion to a Wittig reaction to prepare a Wittig reaction product, and converting the Wittig reaction product to the C.sub.40 -carotenoid by acid treatment.

2,5-bis(1,1-dialkoxy-2-propyl)-2,5-dihydrofurans, the preparation

2,5-bis(1,1-dialkoxy-2-propyl)-2,5-dihydrofurans of the formula I ##STR1## where R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 can be identical or different and can be alkyl of 1 to 4 carbons, the preparation thereof by reaction of 2,5-dialkoxy-2,5-dihydrofurans of the formula II ##STR2## In the presence of protic acids or Lewis acids with an alkyl propenyl ether of the formula III ##STR3## and the use thereof for preparing 2,7-dimethyl-2,4,6-octatrienedial and symmetric C.sub.40 -carotenoids such as .beta.-carotene, canthaxanthin and astaxanthin, are described.

1,1-Dialkoxy-2-methyl-4,4-diacyloxy-2-butenes having the general structure: ##STR1## in which R.sub.1 represents alkyl substituents having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, or both R.sub.1 substituents together represent a single ethylene or propylene substituent, or a single C.sub.1 -C.sub.2 alkyl substituent, and R.sub.2 represents alkyl substituents having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, or cycloalkyl substituent having from 5 to 7 carbon atoms, or aromatic substituents (preferably phenyl substituents). These new compounds are useful as building blocks in the synthesis of terpenes and carotenoids.

1,1-dialkoxy-2-methyl-4,4-diacyloxy-2-butenes

4-Monoacetals of (E)-2-methylbut-2-ene-1,4-dial of the general formula I ##STR1## where R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are each an aliphatic hydrocarbon radical of 1 to 12 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl of 5 to 7 carbon atoms or benzyl, or R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 together form an ethylene or propylene radical which may furthermore be substituted by lower alkyl, are prepared by a process in which a compound of the general formula II ##STR2## where either R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are both one of the groups ##STR3## where R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 have the above meanings, or R.sup.3 is one of the groups ##STR4## and R.sup.4 is formyl ##STR5## is reacted, at from 20.degree. to 200.degree. C., in the presence of an acidic compound, with the compound of the formula III

Preparation of 4-monoacetals of 2-methylbut-2-ene-1,4-dial

A process for the preparation of .beta.-carotene micellar solutions, wherein a non-ionic emulsifier which is suitable for the preparation of micellar solutions is heated at from 160.degree. to 180.degree. C. and a total of from 20 to 30% by weight, based on the emulsifier, of .beta.-carotene is introduced in the presence of a conventional antioxidant, the hot homogeneous mixture is cooled rapidly to below 100.degree. C. by adding water, and the formulation is brought to the desired concentration of from 3 to 6% by weight by adding further water, and the .beta.-carotene micellar solutions obtained by this process. The non-ionic emulsifiers used in this process have an HLB value of from 12 to 16, and are in particular oxyethylated triglycerides of fatty acids of 12 to 18 carbon atoms containing 20-60 oxyethylene units. Parenteral admininstration of the stable .beta.-carotene micellar solutions according to the invention to cattle relieves the disturbed estrus cycle and impaired fertility caused by .beta.-carotene deficiency.

Stable injectable .beta.-carotene micellar solutions and their

A process for treating residues which result from the Wittig synthesis of olefins and which consist principally of methanol, triphenylphosphine oxide, salts and organic by-products, by steam-stripping the volatile constituents, with partial condensation of the steam, and separating the resulting aqueous-organic mixture at 80.degree.-100.degree. C. into a saline aqueous phase and an organic phase containing principally triphenylphosphine oxide. Using this process provides a simple method of freeing, from triphenylphosphine oxide and other organic impurities, the effluent from syntheses which result in the formation of triphenylphosphine oxide, and thereby on the one hand substantially facilitates the purification of the effluent and on the other hand provides a simple method of recovering the triphenylphosphine oxide. The latter compound, which is easily purified by distillation or recrystallization, can then be used, for example, to prepare the triphenylphosphine required for Wittig syntheses or to prepare the triphenylphosphine dichloride required for the synthesis of pesticides.

Treatment of methanolic-aqueous residues from syntheses employing

In the manufacture of tocopherol (vitamin E) by reaction of isophytol with trimethylhydroquinone in the presence of zinc chloride and acid in a hydrocarbon solvent one of the starting compounds, isophytol, is pretreated with small amounts of ammonia or an amine. Tocopherol is obtained in higher yield and purity.

Manufacture of tocopherol

Aqueous solutions of polyenyltriarylphosphonium salts are prepared from solutions of the corresponding polyenyltriarylphosphonium salts in organic solvents by driving off the solvent with steam, part of the steam being allowed to condense. Some of the said triarylphosphonium salts may be used directly as pesticides while others are used as intermediates for organic syntheses, especially in the carotinoid field.

Preparation of aqueous solutions or fine aqueous dispersions of

Symmetrical carotenoids are manufactured from the molecular halves thereof by a process wherein phosphonium salts of the molecular halves of these symmetrical carotenoids are oxidized electrochemically in a solvent and in the presence of a base, causing the molecular halves to dimerize, with elimination of substituted phosphine oxide.

Manufacture of symmetrical carotenoids

Symmetrical carotenoids are prepared from the half-molecules by dimerizing the phosphonium salts of the half-molecules with peroxides, peroxo compounds or peroxy compounds in an alkaline medium.

Growing community of inventors

Schwetzingen, Germany

Bernhard Schulz