Montedison S.p.a.

Istituto Guido Donegani

Montedison Fibre S.p.a.

Instituto Guido Donegani

Enzo Alneri

Carlo Venturello

Giorgio Bottaccio

Giulio Lana

Rino D'Aloisio

Alfredo Coassolo

Marcello Marchi

Stefano Campolmi

Gian P Chiusoli

Luigi Cassar

There is disclosed a new process for the epoxidization of olefins by reaction with hydrogen peroxide according to the double phase technique with 'onium' salts, characterized in that the reaction is conducted in a liquid aqueous-organic biphasic system consisting of:

Process for catalytically epoxidizing olefin with hydrogen peroxide

There is described a process for preparing alkyl esters of methyltartronic acid by hydroxylation of methacrylic acid to alpha-methylglyceric acid with H.sub.2 O.sub.2, in an aqueous medium, in the presence of H.sub.2 WO.sub.4 and optionally of H.sub.3 PO.sub.4 or H.sub.3 AsO.sub.4 or alkaline salts thereof as catalysts, at pH&lt;2 and at temperatures of from 50.degree. to 100.degree. C., by subsequent oxidation of alpha-methylglyceric acid to methyltartronic acid with HNO.sub.3 in excess or with O.sub.2, in an aqueous-alkaline medium, in the presence of Pd or Pt carried on carbon or oxides thereof as catalysts, at temperatures of 60.degree.-100.degree. C., and final esterification of methyltartronic acid with alcohols C.sub.1 -C.sub.4.

Process for preparing alkyl esters of methyltartronic acid

A process is disclosed for the preparation of anhydrous solutions of alkaline phenates in organic solvents, comprising the steps:

Process for the preparation of anhydrous solutions of alkaline phenates

A process is disclosed for the carboxylation of organic substrates or reactants containing at least one active hydrogen atom by reaction with CO.sub.2 and alkaline phenates in an organic medium, characterized in that the reaction is conducted in the presence of simple or substituted alkaline phenates in at least an aprotic medium which is at least a partial solvent for the phenate, and selected from the class consisting of cyclic ethers, aliphatic, cycloaliphatic and heterocyclic tertiary amines, and cyclic sulphones, and at temperatures between about 40.degree. and 60.degree. C. The alkaline phenate is selected from the class consisting of the Li, Na, K salts of the phenols of the general formula: ##STR1## WHEREIN R is hydrogen or an alkyl or an alkoxy group, linear or branched, having up to 20 carbon atoms, or a phenyl group, n varies from 1 to 5, and M is the alkali metal. The starting organic substrate or reactant is selected from the class consisting of ketones, esters, nitroparaffins and nitriles. The alkaline phenate may be prepared 'in situ' from the corresponding phenol and alkaline hydroxide with azeotropic elimination by means of solvent of the water thus formed.

Process for the carboxylation of organic substrates with carbon dioxide

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Novara, Italy

Enzo Alneri