Production of oxygenated compounds

Claim 1

IN THE SYNTHESIS OF A CARBINOL BY THE OXO PROCESS WHEREIN THE SYNTHESIS IS CARRIED OUT CONTINOUSLY IN A PLURALITY OF STAGES IN SEPARATE REACTION ZONES, THE OLEFINIC REACTANT BEING INTRODUCED TO A FIRST STAGE AND CONTRACTED UNDER REACTION CONDITIONS WITH THE GAS THEREIN AND THE LIQUID REACTION MIXTURE BEING PASSED SERIALLY THROUGH SUBSEQUENT STAGES WHEREIN THE SYNTHESIS IS COMPLETED, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES ADDING HYDROGEN SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF CARBON MONOXIDE TO THE LAST STAGE OF THE SYNTHESIS AND RECYCLING THE SAME THERETHROUGH, RECYCLING A MIXTURE OF CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN CONSISTING PREDOMINANTLY OF HYDROGEN IN AN INTERMEDIATE STAGE OF THE SYNTHESIS, ADDING A MIXTURE OF CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN CONSISTING PREDOMINANTLY OF CARBON MONOXIDE TO THE FIRST STAGE OF THE SYNTHESIS AND RECYCLING UNREACTED GAS THERETHROUGH, WITHDRAWING A PORTION OF THE RECYCLE GAS FROM SAID LAST STAGE OF THE SYNTHESIS AND ADDING IT TO THE RECYCLE GAS IN SAID INTERMEDIATE STAGE OF THE SYNTHESIS, AND WITHDRAWING A PORTION OF THE RECYCLE GAS FROM SAID INTERMEDIATE STAGE OF SYNTHESIS AND ADDING IT TO THE RECYCLE GAS IN SAID FIRST STAGE OF THE SYNTHESIS, THE AMOUNT OF GAS SO TRANSFERRED BEING ADJUSTED TO MAINTAIN THE RATIO OF HYDROGEN TO CARBON MONOZIDE IN THE RECYCLE GAS IN THE FIRST STAGE OF THE SYNTHESIS AT LEAST EQUAL TO 1:1.