PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF ALCOHOLS

摘要

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of an alcohol by hydrogenation of a carbonyl compound at elevated temperature and superatmospheric pressure in the presence of a homogeneous catalytic system comprising a source of a Group VIII metal compound and a bidentate phosphine. Conveniently, an aldehyde which has been prepared by hydroformylation of an olefinically unsaturated compound is used as starting material.