Process of producing oxygenated organic compounds

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR PREPARING BUTYRALDEHYDE BY THE CATALYTIC REACTION OF PROPYLENE, CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN AT 40-700 ATMOSPHERES AND 75-250*C., CHARACTERIZED BY THE STEPS OF CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING PROPYLENE AND PREHEATED CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN UNDER PRESSURE INTO A REACTION ZONE COMPRISING AN ENCLOSED BODY OF BUTANOL IN WHICH IS SUSPENDED A REDUCED COBALT-CONTAINING CATALYST CARRIED ON A FINELY DIVIDED INERT CARRIER, REMOVING GASES AS THEY ARE EVOLVED FROM SAID ZONE, HEATING SAID GASES AND THEN RECYCLING THEM TO THE REACTION ZONE TO ATTAIN THE REACTION TEMPERATURE OF 75-250*C., THEREAFTER CONTINUING SAID FEED AND CON TINUOUSLY REMOVING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE ALDEHYDE PRODUCT TOGETHER WITH REACTANTS AND BUTANOL IN GASEOUS AND VAPOR FORM AS SOON AS THEY ARE VOLATILIZED FROM SAID BODY OF BUTANOL AND CATALYST, THEREBY PROMOTING SUCH VOLATILIZATION WHICH, TOGETHER WITH THE CORRELATION OF THE OLEFIN CONTENT OF THE FEED AND THE AMOUNT OF HEAT ADDED TO THE RECYCLE GASES, CONSTITUTES THE SOLE MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE REACTION TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE UPPER LIMIT OF THE REACTION TEMPERATURE RANGE, CONDENSING LIQUID PRODUCTS AND BUTANOL REMOVED FROM SAID REACTION ZONE TO SEPARATE THEM FROM GASEOUS REACTANTS, CONTINUING THE RECYCLING OF THE SEPARATED GASES IN RELATIVELY LARGE QUANTITIES TO SAID REACTION ZONE TO PROVIDE A HIGH DEGREE OF AGITATION AND THEREBY A HIGH RATE OF REACTIONS AND VOLATILIZATION, WHILE THE HEAT ADDED THERETO IN THE REHEATING STEP ASSISTS IN MAINTAINING THE REACTION TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE LOWER LIMIT OF THE REACTION TEMPERATURE RANGE AS WELL AS ASSISTING IN VOLATILIZATION OF PRODUCTS, AND PASSING THE LIQUID PRODUCTS AND BUTANOL SEPEARTED BY SAID CONDENSATION TO FURTHER SEPARATORY TREATMENTS WHICH PROVIDE SUBSTANTIALLY THE SOLE SOURCE OF ALDEHYDE PRODUCT.