Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for preparing ester plasticizers from ethylene glycol or the dimers, trimers or tetramers of this compound and linear or branched aliphatic monocarboxylic acids having from 3 to 20 carbon atoms. The reaction is carried out in the presence of organic substances having a boiling point of <112° C., in particular cyclohexane, as azeotrope formers (entrainers) for removing the water of reaction.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a process for telomerizing a conjugated diene which comprises reacting said conjugated diene with a compound containing active hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst system comprising at least one transition metal compound, at least one phosphorus-containing compound, and at least one salt which forms a liquid under the conditions of the telomerization process.

Abstract: An efficient process for the production of substituted 10-chloro-phenoxaphosphines or 10 bromo-phenoxaphosphines by reaction of substituted diphenyl ethers with phosphorus trihalogenide in the presence of at least one Lewis acid and subsequent treatment with an amine.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for selectively producing acetic acid from a gaseous feedstock of ethane, ethylene or mixtures thereof and oxygen at a high temperature. Said gaseous feedstock is brought together with a catalyst containing the elements Mo, Pd, X and Y in the gram-atomic ratios a:b:c:d in combination with oxygen: MoaPdbXcYd (I). Symbols X and Y have the following meaning: X represents one or several of the elements chosen from the group Cr, Mn, Nb, Ta, Ti, V, Te and W; Y represents one or several of the elements chosen from the group B, Al, Ga, In, Pt, Zn, Cd, Bi, Ce, Co, Rh, Ir, Cu, Ag, Au, Fe, Ru, Os, K, Rb, Cs, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Nb, Zr, Hf, Ni, P, Pb, Sb, Si, Sn, Tl and U, the indices a, b, c, d and x represent the gram-atomic ratios of the corresponding elements: a=1, b=0.0001 to 0.01, c=0.4 to 1 and d=0.005 to 1. The space-time yield in the oxidation to acetic acid using the inventive method is >150 kg/hm3.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing aldehydes by reacting one olefine containing 3 to 12 carbon atoms with hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the presence of one rhodium catalyst. The invention is characterized in that (a) the rhodium catalyst is present in an aqueous phase, whereby the aqueous phase contains i) rhodium in an elemental or bonded form, ii) one trisulfonated triaryl phosphine, and iii) one crown etherl (b) the olefine is present in the reaction conditions in a liquid organic phase which cannot be mixed with the aqueous phase.

Abstract: The invention relates to a catalyst which contains palladium and/or compounds thereof, cadmium compounds, alkali metal compounds and at least one lanthanoid metal. The invention also relates to the utilization of the catalyst in order to produce vinyl acetate from acetic acid, ethylene and oxygen or gases containing oxygen.

Abstract: A catalyst composition comprising a) more than 70% by weight of a polyethylene glycol of the formula H—(OCH2—CH2)n—OH, where n is an integer of 3 to 16 and the number average molecular weight is less than 650 b) rhodium in elemental form or bound form and c) 2 to 25% by weight of water soluble sulfonated triarylphosphine ligand having 1 to 2 phophorus atoms and not more than 25% by weight of water based on the total amount of the catalyst and its use for the hydroformylation of olefins to aldehydes is described.

Abstract: A compound is disclosed having the formula (I), in which m equals 1 to 1000; x equals 0 to 4; W is a group of formulas --CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --, --CH(CH.sub.3)CH.sub.2 -- or --CH.sub.2 CH(CH.sub.3)--; R is hydrogen, a straight-chain or branched-chain C.sub.1 -C.sub.5 alkyl radical; or a group of formulas (a) or (b), in which a, b, c, d and e independently represent a number from 0 to 1000, at least one of the numbers represented by a, b, c, d and e being higher than 0; R.sup.5, R.sup.6, R.sup.7, R.sup.8 and R.sup.9 are the same or different and represent hydrogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.5 alkyl or a group of formula (c); R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are the same or different and represent a straight-chain, a branched-chain or a cyclic C.sub.1 -C.sub.30 alkyl radical or C.sub.6 -C.sub.10 aryl radical which is non-substituted or substituted by one to five C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 alkyl radicals, or R.sup.1 and R.sup.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the purification of C.sub.3 -C.sub.10 -alcohols by distillation, by distilling the alcohols at 150 to 200.degree. C. in the presence of 10 to 1000 ppm of alkali metal hydroxide.