Recovery of a carbonyl compound of cobalt

Claim 1

IN A HYDROFORMYLATION PROCESS WHEREIN AN OLEFINIC COMPOUND IS REACTED WITH CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN IN THE PRESENCE OF A CARBONYL COMPOUND OF COBALT AS A CATALYST TO PRODUCE A REACTION MIXTURE CONTAINING A CARBONYL COMPOUND OF COBALT AND AN ALDEHYDE HAVING ONE MORE CARBON ATOM THAN THE OLEFINIC COMPOUND, COBALT-CONTAINING MATERIAL IS RECOVERED FROM THE REACTION MIXTURE AND RECOVERED COBALT-CONTAINING MATERIAL IS RECYCLED TO THE HYDROFORMYLATION PROCESS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES INTIMATELY CONTACTING THE REACTION MIXTURE HAVING THE CARBONYL COMPOUND OF COBALT THEREIN AT A TEMPERATURE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 20*C. AND 250* C. AND AT A PRESSURE OF AT LEAST ATMOSPHERIC WITH FROM BETWEEN 10% AND 100% BY VOLUME OF SAID ORGANIC LIQUID OF AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE SUBSTANCE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE OXIDES, HYDROXIDES AND SALTS OF THE ALKALI AND ALKALINE EARTH METALS TO FORM A WATER SOLUBLE COBALT COMPOUND WHICH HAS THE COBALT PRESENT SUBSTANTIALLY ENTRIELY IN THE ANIONIC PORTION OF THE MOLECULE AND DISSOLVED IN THE AQUEOUS MEDIUM, SEPARATING THE AQUEOUS MEDIUM CONTAINING THE DISSOLVED COBALT COMPOUND FROM THE REACTION MIXTURE, ADDING A STRONG MINERAL ACID TO THE AQUEOUS MEDIUM