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1992
N4
als are bought by the ton and sold by the gallon. Among recent patents in this area are: New design of catalytic distillation reactor. Chemical Research & Licensing Co., US Pat. 5130,102 (14 July 1992). TAME from i-pentene and methanol. Catatyst: Pt or Pd on smectite clay pretreated with heteropoly acid. Texaco Chemical Co., Europ. Pat. 498,975 (19 Aug. 1982). MTBE from t-butanol and methanol. Catalyst: modified montmorillonite. Texaco Chemical Co., Europ. Pat. 521,699 (7 Jan. 1993). MTBE from t-butanol and methanol. Catalyst: montmorillonite/HF, etc. Texaco Chemical Co., US Pat. 5,157,161 (20 Oct. 1992). MTBE from t-butanol and methanol. Catalyst: montmorillonite/HF, etc. Texaco Chemical Co., US Pat. 5,157,162 (20 Oct. 1992). MTBE from t-butanol and methanol. Catalyst: HF-treated zeolite Y. Texaco Chemical Co., Europ. Pat. 528,626 (24 Feb. 1993). MTBE from t-butanol and methanol. Catalyst: Group 6-l 1 exchanged zeolite. Texaco Chemical Co., US Pat. 5,162,592 (10 Nov. 1992). Carbonate esters from carbonylation of alcohols or phenols. Catalyst: Pd/Pd compound, quinone, an onium compound. ldemitsu Kosan Co., Europ. Pat. 508,340 (14 Oct. 1992).
Committees
to the academic as to the commercial organisations we all know: “Good news from the High Street banks is a rarity, but I have a dramatic report from the Midland (a large British bank). My man under the tennis-court-sized boardroom table tells me that Brian Pearse, the chief executive, has abolished committees, All of them. The Midland, having formalised or fossilised in the 1920s had committees for everything. Mr Pearse, who came in from Barclays (another large British bank), found this excessive and has gone to the other extreme. It is an example that deserves to be followed in corporate bureaucracies throughout the land. Nothing would do more for productivity. Veteran committee-sitters will be shocked at having to make up their own minds and take the consequences. Managers will enjoy it. ... For myself, I am glad to see the Midland build on my pioneer work at NABC. At one time, I was involved with a City organisation which used to come out in committees like spots. Every stimulus brought on a new committee, and every hour of the day could be spent in meetings, or in drafting the minutes of the last one or in preparing reports for the next one. In response to this, I was active in founding NABC, with no organisational structure but a common attitude of mind: Not Another Bloody Committee.” (C. Fildes, The Spectator, 5 September 1992, p.23)
It is a little late now but who knew that 1992 was “The Year of the Catalyst”?
The following kern from the City correspondent of The Spectator, a British weekly magazine, is reprinted without comment, except that it may be as relevant applied catalysis A: General
Volume 98 No. 1 -
4 June 1993
als are bought by the ton and sold by the gallon. Among recent patents in this area are: New design of catalytic distillation reactor. Chemical Research & Licensing Co., US Pat. 5130,102 (14 July 1992). TAME from i-pentene and methanol. Catatyst: Pt or Pd on smectite clay pretreated with heteropoly acid. Texaco Chemical Co., Europ. Pat. 498,975 (19 Aug. 1982). MTBE from t-butanol and methanol. Catalyst: modified montmorillonite. Texaco Chemical Co., Europ. Pat. 521,699 (7 Jan. 1993). MTBE from t-butanol and methanol. Catalyst: montmorillonite/HF, etc. Texaco Chemical Co., US Pat. 5,157,161 (20 Oct. 1992). MTBE from t-butanol and methanol. Catalyst: montmorillonite/HF, etc. Texaco Chemical Co., US Pat. 5,157,162 (20 Oct. 1992). MTBE from t-butanol and methanol. Catalyst: HF-treated zeolite Y. Texaco Chemical Co., Europ. Pat. 528,626 (24 Feb. 1993). MTBE from t-butanol and methanol. Catalyst: Group 6-l 1 exchanged zeolite. Texaco Chemical Co., US Pat. 5,162,592 (10 Nov. 1992). Carbonate esters from carbonylation of alcohols or phenols. Catalyst: Pd/Pd compound, quinone, an onium compound. ldemitsu Kosan Co., Europ. Pat. 508,340 (14 Oct. 1992).
Committees
to the academic as to the commercial organisations we all know: “Good news from the High Street banks is a rarity, but I have a dramatic report from the Midland (a large British bank). My man under the tennis-court-sized boardroom table tells me that Brian Pearse, the chief executive, has abolished committees, All of them. The Midland, having formalised or fossilised in the 1920s had committees for everything. Mr Pearse, who came in from Barclays (another large British bank), found this excessive and has gone to the other extreme. It is an example that deserves to be followed in corporate bureaucracies throughout the land. Nothing would do more for productivity. Veteran committee-sitters will be shocked at having to make up their own minds and take the consequences. Managers will enjoy it. ... For myself, I am glad to see the Midland build on my pioneer work at NABC. At one time, I was involved with a City organisation which used to come out in committees like spots. Every stimulus brought on a new committee, and every hour of the day could be spent in meetings, or in drafting the minutes of the last one or in preparing reports for the next one. In response to this, I was active in founding NABC, with no organisational structure but a common attitude of mind: Not Another Bloody Committee.” (C. Fildes, The Spectator, 5 September 1992, p.23)
It is a little late now but who knew that 1992 was “The Year of the Catalyst”?
The following kern from the City correspondent of The Spectator, a British weekly magazine, is reprinted without comment, except that it may be as relevant applied catalysis A: General
Volume 98 No. 1 -
4 June 1993