Process for the production of ethanol and/or acetaldehyde by the metal catalysed liquid phase reaction of methanol, carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the presence of a solvent

摘要

A recycle solvent for use in a metal catalysed process for the production of ethanol and/or acetaldehyde by the liquid phase reaction of methanol, carbon monoxide and hydrogen is provided. The solvent should (i) form a single phase with methanol and the liquid products of the process throughout the process; (2) be one in which the catalyst and any associated promoters are soluble; (3) have a boiling point at atmospheric pressure in excess of 120°C and (4) should be chemically stable under the reaction conditions and not interact in a deliterious manner with either the catalyst or the other components of the reaction. A preferred class of recycle solvent is sulpholane and its substituted derivatives.