Process for the preparation of aldehydes

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING ALDEHYDES WHEREIN A REACTANT COMPOUND TAKEN FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF (1) PRIMARY HALIDES OF THE STRUCTURE R(CH2X)N, X BEING TAKEN FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CHLORINE AND BROMINE, AND, (2) SULFONATE ESTERS OF PRIMARY ALCOHLS HAVING THE STRUCTURE R(CH2OSO2Y)N, BEING AN INTEGER OF 1 TO 2, R BEING TAKEN FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AN ALKYL RADICAL HAVING FROM 3 TO 11 CARBON ATOMS, CYCLOHEXYL AND PHENYL WHEN N=1; WHEN N=2, R IS PHENYL; Y IN SAID SULFONATE ESTER IS TAKEN FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AN ALKYL RADICAL OF FROM 1 TO 8 CARBON ATOMS AND AN ARYL RADICAL TAKEN FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PHENYL, TOLYL, PARA-BROMOPHENYL AND NAPHTHYL, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING THE HEATING, AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 40 TO 160*C., OF FROM 1 TO 14 MOLES OF SAID REACTANT COMPOUND PER MOLE OF A COMPOUND TAKEN FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF A DI(LOWER ALKYL) SULFOXIDE, AN ALKYL-AIRYL SULFOXIDE, AND A DIARYL SULFOXIDE, THE REACTION TIME BEING FROM 2 TO 20 HOURS, FOLLOWED BY RECOVERING THE ALDEHYDE PRODUCT.