Abstract: Electrolysis cell consisting of 2 monopolar electrodes and one or more intermediate bipolar electrodes, where the one monopolar electrode and the parts of the bipolar electrodes charged in the same sense thereto together form the working electrode and the other monopolar electrode and the parts of the bipolar electrodes charged in the same sense thereto together form the counter electrode the space between counter and working electrode is undivided the surface of the counter electrode consists of electrochemically active and inactive parts the sum of the electrochemically active parts of the surface of the counter electrode is smaller by a large amount than that of the electrochemically active parts of the surface of the working electrode.

Abstract: Electrolysis cell consisting of 2 monopolar electrodes and one or more intermediate bipolar electrodes, where

Abstract: Alcohols are prepared by the catalytic hydrogenation of the corresponding carbonyl compounds at elevated temperatures and at superatmospheric pressure in the liquid phase by a process in which the catalyst used contains copper on an SiO2-containing carrier in the presence or absence of one or more of the elements magnesium, barium, zinc and chromium.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of polyalcohols comprises the stages:(a) Reaction of an alkanal or ketone with formaldehyde in aqueous solution in the presence of a tertiary amine, to form a formates containing polyalcohol product mixture,(b) removal of water, excess tertiary amine, excess formaldehyde(c) heating of remaining mixture from (b) with removal of further formaldehyde and tertiary amine with formation of the formates of the polyalcohol,(d) transfer of tertiary amine removed from stage (b) and/or from stage (c), to synthesis stage (a) and/or to the subsequent transesterification stage (e),(e) transesterification of the resulting formates of the polyalcohol from stage (c) with an alcohol of the formula ROH in the presence of a transesterification catalyst to give polyalcohols and formates of the formula ##STR1## where R is a hydrocarbon radical, preferably alkyl of 1-6, particularly preferably 1-2, carbon atoms, and(f) isolation of the polyalcohols.