Union Carbide Corporation

Earle S Brown

Wellington E Walker

David Robert Bryant

This invention relates to the manufacture of such valuable chemicals as polyhydric alcohols, their ether and ester derivatives, oligomers of such alcohols and monohydric alcohols and their ether and ester derivatives by reacting oxides of carbon and hydrogen in the presence of a quaternary ammonium cation and a rhodium carbonyl complex provided to the reaction as a rhodium carbonyl cluster anion which possesses an infrared spectrum which exhibits three intense wavelength bands between about plus and minus 10 cm.sup.-1 of about 1868 cm.sup.-1, about 1838 cm.sup.-1, and about 1785 cm.sup.-1 and said cation is present in the reaction mixture in about 0.8 to about 2.0 moles of cation for every six rhodium atoms present in the reaction mixture.

Catalytic process for polyhydric alcohols and derivatives

This invention relates to novel carbonyl mixed metal salts, containing more than one metal and having the formula:

Divalent metal salts of dodecametal triaconta carbonyls

Monovalent metal salts of dodecametal triaconta carbonyls

This invention relates to the manufacture of such valuable chemicals as polyhydric alcohols, their ether and ester derivatives, oligomers of such alcohols and monohydric alcohols and their ether and ester derivatives by reacting oxides of carbon and hydrogen in the presence of rhodium carbonyl clusters which possess an infrared spectrum which exhibit three intense wavelength bands between about plus and minus 10 cm.sup.-.sup.1 of about 1868 cm.sup.-.sup.1, about 1838 cm.sup.-.sup.1, and about 1785 cm.sup.-.sup.1 dissolved in a lactone solvent from the group consisting of gamma-butyrolactone and delta-valerolactone.

This invention relates to the manufacture of such valuable chemicals as polyhydric alcohols, their ether and ester derivatives, oligomers of such alcohols and monohydric alcohols and their ether and ester derivatives by reacting oxides of carbon and hydrogen in the presence of an alkali metal cation and a rhodium carbonyl complex provided to the reaction as a rhodium carbonyl cluster anion which possesses an infrared spectrum which exhibits three intense wavelength bands between about plus and minus 10 cm.sup.-.sup.1 of about 1868 cm.sup.-.sup.1, about 1838 cm.sup.-.sup.1, and about 1785 cm.sup.-.sup.1 and said cation is present in the reaction mixture in about 0.5 to about 1.5 atoms of cation per every six rhodium atoms in the cluster.

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South Charleston, WV, United States of America

Earle S Brown