Abstract: In the process for catalytically reacting olefin and oxygen to provide glycol or a mixture of glycol and glycol ester, higher rates of reaction and/or higher selectivities for the desired product(s) are obtained employing as catalyst, a composition comprising a mixture of molecular iodine and hydrobromic acid; hydriodic acid and hydrobromic acid; or, at least one oxide of antimony, bismuth or tellurium in admixture with at least one member of the group consisting of hydriodic acid; molecular iodine; hydriodic acid and molecular iodine; molecular iodine and hydrobromic acid; and, hydriodic acid and hydrobromic acid in a water or water-carboxylic acid reaction medium.

Abstract: An improvement in the reaction of olefin with aldehyde, and optionally, carboxylic acid, in the liquid phase in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of strong acid to provide a 1,3-difunctional compound or a mixture of 1,3-difunctional compounds is provided by carrying out the aforesaid reaction in the further presence of a co-catalyst selected from the group consisting of antimony oxide, bismuth oxide, antimony salt, bismuth salt and mixtures thereof.

Abstract: Gamma-butyrolactones are manufactured from olefins by reacting an olefin with an aldehyde to produce a 1,3-difunctional compound, reacting the 1,3-difunctional compound with carbon monoxide, and thereafter recovering the lactone thus produced.