Method of preparing oxygenated compounds

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF PRODUCING PREDOMINANT YIELDS OF STRAIGHT CHAIN ALDEHYDES, COMPRISING INCORPORATING A CATALYST SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE METALS COBALT AND ION, THEIR CARBONYLS AND CARBONYL FORMING COMPOUNDS THEREOF, INTO A REACTION MEDIUM, THE MAJOR PORTION OF WHICH IS A LIQUID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF (A) LOWER ALIPHATIC KETONE, AND (B) A MIXTURE OF LOWER ALIPHATIC ACETAL AND LOWER ALIPHATIC ALCOHOL THERE BEING PRESENT 0.1 TO 20 VOLUME PERCENT OF WATER BASED ON THE VOLUME OF THE OTHER INGREDIENTS OF THE MEDIUM IN EACH INSTANCE, AND INTRODUCING A STRAIGHT CHAIN LOWER ALIPHATIC OLEFIN HAVING ONE LESS CARBON ATOM THAN THE DESIRED ALDEHYDE PRODUCT, CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN AS REACTANTS INTO THE CATALYST CONTAINING REACTION MEDIUM WHERE THEY REACT AT 90-175* C. AND 40-700 ATM., THE WATER BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO INCREASE THE RATE OF REACTION AND THE RATIO OF STRAIGHT CHAIN TO BRANCHED CHAIN ALDEHYDE PRODUCED, COMPARED TO OPERATION IN THE ABSENCE OF WATER.