Abstract: Process for preparing aldehydes and alcohols by rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation of olefins having 6–20 carbon atoms with subsequent separation by distillation of the output from the hydroformylation reaction into the hydroformylation products and a rhodium-containing solution and recirculation of this solution to the hydroformylation reaction, wherein the rhodium concentration of the recirculated rhodium-containing solution is 20–150 ppm by mass.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for preparing a C13-alcohol mixture which is suitable, in particular, as precursor for the preparation of compounds having surfactant properties and of plasticizers.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparing alcohols by hydroformylation of olefins or olefin mixtures, separation from the catalyst and subsequent hydrogenation, with an extraction being carried out after removal of the catalyst and before the hydrogenation of the aldehydes.

Abstract: Olefins having from 5 to 24, in particular from 5 to 12, carbon atoms are hydroformylated by reacting an olefin or a mixture of olefins in the presence of an unmodified cobalt catalyst in a single-stage process in a reactor at a temperature of from 100° C. to 220° C. and a pressure of from 100 bar to 400 bar, to obtain an aldehyde, an alcohol or a mixture thereof. An aqueous bottom phase and an organic phase are present in the reactor, the aqueous bottom phase is mixed with the organic phase, and a concentration of the cobalt catalyst, calculated as metallic cobalt, in the aqueous bottom phase is in the range from 0.4 to 1.7% by mass based on the total weight of the aqueous bottom phase. A level of the aqueous bottom phase in the reactor is kept constant during steady-state operation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process, which includes: in a homogeneous liquid phase including water, and over a fixed-bed catalyst, continuously hydrogenating at least one hydroformylation product obtained from a hydroformylation of one or more C4-16 olefins to produce at least one output mixture; wherein the fixed-bed catalyst includes at least one element of transition group eight of the Periodic Table of the Elements; wherein the output mixture includes at least one corresponding alcohol and from 0.05 to 10% by weight of water; and wherein in a steady-state operation of the process, from 3 to 50% more hydrogen is fed to the hydrogenation than is consumed by the hydrogenation.

Abstract: Olefins having from 5 to 24, in particular from 5 to 12, carbon atoms are hydroformylated by reacting an olefin or a mixture of olefins in the presence of an unmodified cobalt catalyst in a single-stage process in a reactor at a temperature of from 100° C. to 220° C. and a pressure of from 100 bar to 400 bar, to obtain an aldehyde, an alcohol or a mixture thereof. An aqueous bottom phase and an organic phase are present in the reactor, the aqueous bottom phase is mixed with the organic phase, and a concentration of the cobalt catalyst, calculated as metallic cobalt, in the aqueous bottom phase is in the range from 0.4 to 1.7% by mass based on the total weight of the aqueous bottom phase. A level of the aqueous bottom phase in the reactor is kept constant during steady-state operation.

Abstract: Aldehydes are prepared by a process, which comprises: hydroformylating olefins having 3 to 21 carbon atoms under an atmosphere of CO/H2 in the presence of a rhodium catalyst in a hydroformylation reactor; and upon discharging the reaction product from the reactor, a) separating the discharged material into a gaseous phase and a liquid phase, b) separating the liquid phase into a top fraction containing unconverted olefins and aldehydes and a bottoms fraction containing the rhodium catalyst, and c) cooling the bottoms fraction below the temperature of the material discharged from the hydroformylation reactor and feeding a gas containing carbon monoxide into the bottoms fraction.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparing higher oxo alcohols from mixtures of isomeric olefins having from 5 to 24 carbon atoms by hydroformylation in the presence of a catalyst at elevated temperature and at elevated pressure, in which the hydroformylation is carried out in one stage, the olefin conversion rate for one pass is restricted to from 40 to 90% to produce a reaction mixture, and the reaction mixture is selectively hydrogenated.

Abstract: The present invention is a process for preparing C4-25 aldehydes by hydroformylating the corresponding C3-24 olefins in the presence of a cobalt hydroformylation catalyst, and catalytically decomposing the formic acid formed in the hydroformylation reaction or in the subsequent catalyst work-up. The aldehydes so produced may be hydrogenated to form alcohols.

Abstract: Butene oligomers and di-iso-butane are prepared from field butanes by a process, which comprises:

Abstract: A process for preparing higher oxo alcohols from mixtures of isomeric olefins having from 5 to 24 carbon atoms by two-stage hydroformylation in the presence of a cobalt catalyst or rhodium catalyst at elevated temperature and at elevated pressure, which comprises selectively hydrogenating the first hydroformylation stage reaction mixture, separating the hydrogenation mixture in a distillation into crude alcohol and low-boilers predominantly consisting of olefins, passing these low-boilers to the second hydroformylation stage, again selectively hydrogenating the second hydroformylation stage reaction mixture, separating the hydrogenation mixture in one distillation into crude alcohol and low-boilers, working up the crude alcohol by distillation to pure alcohol and taking off at least some of the low-boilers to discharge saturated hydrocarbons.

Abstract: The present invention is a process for preparing C4-25 aldehydes by hydroformylating the corresponding C3-24 olefins in the presence of a cobalt hydroformylation catalyst, and catalytically decomposing the formic acid formed in the hydroformylation reaction or in the subsequent catalyst work-up. The aldehydes so produced may be hydrogenated to form alcohols.

Abstract: A highly flexible process for preparing butene oligomers from field butanes. The process can be controlled to produce the desired oligomerization products by appropriate selection of the starting materials.

Abstract: A process is described in which butene oligomers are prepared from Fischer-Tropsch olefins, in which the butenes present in a C.sub.4 fraction of Fischer-Tropsch hydrocarbons are oligomerized to obtain dibutene. The dibutene can be fractionated in a fine distillation stage into di-n-butene and di-isobutene. In one embodiment of the process, the ethylene present in the Fischer-Tropsch olefins is dimerized and the dimerization mixture is recycled to the C.sub.4 fraction. In another embodiment, the isobutene present in the C.sub.4 fraction is reacted with an alcohol to give an alkyl tert-butyl ether, and only the remaining n-butene is oligomerized so that di-n-butene is formed as the sole dibutene.

Abstract: A process for the coupled production of alkyl tert-butyl ethers and butene oligomers from a mixture containing isobutane and n-butane. The isobutane is converted to the alkyl tert-butyl ether and the n-butane is converted to the oligomers. The ratio of the two reaction products may be controlled by setting the ratio of n-butane to isobutane appropriately by isomerization.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparing di-n-butene and alkyl tertbutyl ethers in a coupled production from field butanes, which indicates (a) separating the field butanes 1 into n-butane and isobutane in the separation stage 4, (b) dehydrogenating the n-butane 5 in a dehydrogenation stage 6 to give an n-butene-containing dehydrogenation mixture 7, oligomerizing the n-butene in the oligomerization stage 10 to give an oligomer mixture 11 and separating di-n-butene 12 off from this, and (c) de-hydrogenating the isobutane 15 in the dehydrogenation stage 16 to give an isobutene-containing dehydrogenation mixture 17 and reacting the isobutene with an alkanol 20 in the etherification stage 19 to give an alkyl tert-butyl ether 21.