Abstract: A rhenium containing catalyst composition is provided by adsorbing a rhenium containing compound on the surface of a pore containing catalyst support and thermally decomposing said compound in the presence of a hydrogen containing gas maintained at a positive pressure. Such rhenium catalysts are useful for the selective preparation of alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated alcohols from alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated aldehydes by contact with a hydrogen containing gas in the vapor phase.

Abstract: There is disclosed a selective process for preparing alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated alcohols such as allyl alcohol in the vapor phase. This process comprises reacting an alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated aldehyde such as acrolein with a hydrogen-containing gas in the vapor phase in the presence of a supported partially decomposed rhenium catalyst. A preferred catalyst comprises the partial decomposition product of rhenium decacarbonyl and a large pore diameter support material such as controlled pore size type glass.A particularly selective vapor phase reduction results when the reaction is carried out in the presence of a critical amount of a selective catalyst poison such as carbon monoxide or carbon disulfide. This selective catalyst poison substantially inhibits the conversion of reactant to undesired product but does not substantially interfere with the conversion of reactant to the desired products.