摘要 |
Ethanol and/or acetaldehyde is (are) produced by reacting methanol and synthesis gas at elevated temperature and pressure in the presence of a catalyst consisting of (a) cobalt, (b) an iodide or a bromide and (c) a polydentate ligand wherein the donor atoms are selected from nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony and bismuth, ethanol being the predominant product when the donor atoms are exclusively nitrogen or phosphorus, particularly phosphorus, and acetaldehyde being the major product when the donor atoms are exclusively arsenic, antimony or bismuth. A particularly effective polydentate ligand is one having the formula: (R1)(R2)X-[C(R5)(R6)]n-Y(R3)(R4) (II) in which X and Y are independently nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony or bismuth; n is an integer; (R1), (R2), (R3) and (R4) are independently saturated monovalent organic radicals containing from 1 to 20 carbon atoms. Examples of polydentate ligands which are effective in the production of ethanol are those having the formula (II) in which (R1), (R2), (R3) and (R4) are C6H5-, X and Y are phosphorus and n has the value 4 to 6. |