Hydroformylation of conjugated dienes

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE HYDROFORMYLATION OF THE OLEFINIC REACTANTS CONTAINING AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF AN ACYCLIC CONJUGATED DIENE HAVING BETWEEN 4 TO 12 CARBON ATOMS, TO PRODUCE HYROFORMYLATION PRODUCTS COMPRISING ALDEHYDES AND ALCOHOLS, WHICH COMPRISES HEATING A MIXTURE OF THE SAID OLEFINIC REACTANTS, A COBALT-CONTAINING HYDROFORMYLATION CATALYST, CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN IN WHICH THE CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN ARE PRESENT IN AT LEAST STOICHIOMETRIC AMOUNTS, AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOVE 185*C. TO 220*C. AND AT A PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 4000 P.S.I.G., THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES CONDUCTING THE HYDROFORMYLATION REACTION IN THE PRESENCE OF FROM ABOUT 0.2 TO ABOUT 10 PARTS BY VOLUME PER PART OF THE OLEFINIC REACTANTS OF RECYCLED HYDROFORMYLATION PRODUCTS, SAID RECYCLED PRODUCTS BEING CONTACTED WITH THE OLEFINIC REACTANTS WHILE AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOVE 185*C. TO 220*C. AND AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 4,000 TO 6,000 P.S.I.G.