Kuraray Co., Ltd.

Kurary Company, Ltd.

Noriaki Yoshimura

Yasuo Tokitoh

Masuhiko Tamura

Koji Hirai

Toshihiko Maeda

Mitsuo Matsumoto

Michihiro Ishiguro

Takayuki Okamura

Masao Ishii

Shunro Taniguchi

Toshihiro Omatsu

Yoshifumi Murata

Yoichi Matsumoto

Shinichi Yokota

Shigeaki Suzuki

Kimio Nakayama

Kenichi Hino

Takanori Kitamura

Makoto Yano

Masao Ishida

Tomoyasu Tsuda

Tatuya Oshita

Tamio Higashi

Keiji Kubo

Masami Murasawa

A process for producing octadienes comprises, on synthesis of octadienes by reacting butadiene with formic acid in the presence of a palladium catalyst, controlling the reaction pressure at not more than the vapor pressure of butadiene at the reaction temperature employed, thereby suppressing formation of byproducts which would accumulate in a catalyst-containing layer and minimizing the decrease of reaction rate and selectivity which would occur by such accumulation.

Process for producing octadienes

A polyurethane made of polyester diol units, organic diisocyanate units and units from a chain extender, wherein the polyester diol units contain dicarboxylic acid units and diol units, wherein at least 30 mole % of the dicarboxylic acid units are units derived from 3,8-dimethyldecanedioic acid, 3,7-dimethyldecanedioic acid or a mixture thereof, and wherein the polyester diol units have a number-average molecular weight in a range from 500 to 6000 is provided along with the polyester diol for preparing the polyurethane, polyurethane fibers prepared from the polyurethane, a molded article prepared from the polyurethane and processes for producing the polyurethane, polyester diol, dimethyldecanedioic acids and dimethyldecanedials used to prepare the dimethyldecanedioic acids; where the polyurethane and fibers produced therefrom are superior in various properties such as hydrolytic resistance, heat resistance, resistance to hot water, cold resistance, fungal resistance and mechanical performances e.g., strength at break and elongation at break, as well as injection moldability and the fibers are dyeable under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions and are superior, after dyeing, in tensile strength and elongation, elastic recovery, fungal resistance, resistance to chlorine and color fastness.

Polyurethane and molded article comprising the same

An improved process for producing octa-2,7-dien-1-ol which comprises reacting butadiene with water in an aqueous sulfolane solution containing a carbonate and/or bicarbonate of a monodentate tertiary amine in the presence of a palladium compound and a phosphonium salt.

Process for producing octa-2,7-dien-1-ol

Novel phosphonium salts of the general formula ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each is a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 12 carbon atoms which may optionally be substituted; R.sup.3 is a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 5 carbon atoms which may optionally be substituted; R.sup.4, R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 each is a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms which may optionally be substituted; X is a hydroxyl group, a hydroxycarbonyloxy group or a lower alkylcarbonyloxy group, and processes for production of the salts are described. Telomerization catalysts containing said phosphonium salts and processes for production of straight-chained alkadienyl compounds using the same catalysts are also provided.

Phosphonium salts and processes for production of and uses for the same

Process for producing polyurethane

Butadiene and water are reacted continuously in the presence of a solvent capable of dissolving both reactants and a palladium catalyst with the mole ratio of butadiene to the reaction product octa-2,7-dien-1-ol in the reaction mixture being maintained at 0.6 or more. By this process, octa-2,7-dien-1-ol can be produced continuously without reductions in reaction rate and selectivity and with decreased insoluble polymer formation.

Process for continuous production of octa-2,7-dien-1-ol

Polyester polyols containing the following recurring unit derived from .beta.-methyl-.delta.-valerolactone

Stabilized poly (.beta.-methyl-.delta.-valerolactone)

Novel phosphonium salts of the general formula ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each is a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 12 carbon atoms which may optionally be substituted; R.sup.3 is a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 5 carbon atoms which may optionally be substituted; R.sup.4, R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 each is a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms which may optionally be substituted; X is a hydroxyl group, a hydroxycarbonyloxy group or a lower alkylcarbonyloxy group, and processes for production of the salts are described. Telomerization catalysts containing said phosphonium salts and processes for production of straight-chain alkadienyl compounds using the same catalysts are also provided.

There is provided an industrial process for the advantageous preparation of high-purity lithium diphenylphosphinobenzene-m-monosulfonate.

Process for the preparation of lithium

Novel trimethylolheptanes having three highly reactive hydroxyl groups are provided. They are useful as raw materials for the production of polyesters for use in or as raw materials or modifiers for paints, inks, adhesives, coating compositions and molding resins. Uses for the trimethylolheptanes are also provided.

Trimethylolheptanes and use thereof

A hydroformylation process is provided which comprises reacting a compound of the general formula

Hydroformylation process

There is disclosed a method of hydroformylating 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol and analogs thereof with carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the presence of a rhodium compound free from modification by a ligand containing an element belonging to the group V of the periodic table as well as a method of producing 3-methylpentane-1,5-diol and .beta.-methyl-.delta.-valerolactone using such hydroformylation product.

Hydroformylation of 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol and analogs thereof and use of

The method for producing .alpha.,.omega.-dialdehydes from .alpha.,.omega.-diolefins or .alpha.,.omega.-alkenals in good yield and with high efficiency. The expensive rhodium catalyst for hydroformylation can be reused without any substantial attrition of activity. Moreover, since the loses of the catalyst, monodentate phosphine and sulfolane used in the hydroformylation reaction are minimal, the method is commercially advantageous.

Method for production of .alpha.,.omega.-dialdehydes

The hydroformylation of 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol with hydrogen and carbon monoxide, when carried out under relatively mild conditions, gives 2-hydroxy-4-methyltetrahydropyran (MHP) in high rate of reaction and in high selectivity even in a very low rhodium catalyst concentration. MHP is useful as a starting material for the production of 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol and .beta.-methyl-.delta.-valerolactone which are in turn usable as raw materials for producing polyesters and polyurethanes. The process according to the invention can give such MHP advantageously from the industrial viewpoint and has very great industrial utility.

Growing community of inventors

Kurashiki, Japan

Noriaki Yoshimura