Selective formation of ethanol from methanol, hydrogen and carbon monoxide

Claim 1

In a process for the homologation of methanol to ethanol wherein methanol is reacted with hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalyst at a reaction temperature of from about 150° C. to about 250° C. and a reaction pressure of from about 1000 psig (6.83 MPA) to about 6000 psig (40.98 MPA), the improvement which comprises contacting methanol, hydrogen and carbon monoxide with cobalt acetylacetonate, a tertiary organo Group V A compound of the periodic table of the formula: ##STR3## wherein E is a member selected from the group consisting of trivalent phosphorus, trivalent arsenic and trivalent antimony; and R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are either alike or different members selected from the group consisting of saturated or unsaturated, straight or branched chain alkyl radicals having from about 1 to about 24 carbon atoms; aryl radicals having from about 6 to about 20 carbon atoms; alkenyl radicals having from about 1 to about 30 carbon atoms; cycloalkyl radicals having from about 3 to about 40 carbon atoms; aralkyl and alkaryl radicals having from about 6 to about 40 carbon atoms; and n is an integer of 0 or 1 with the provision that when n is 1, E must be phosphorus; an iodine promoter, and as a second promoter a ruthenium compound, said cobalt acetylacetonate and said tertiary organo Group V A compound being in a molar ratio of from about 1:20 to about 20:1, said cobalt acetylacetonate and said iodine promoter being in a molar ratio of from about 1:100 to about 100:1 and said cobalt acetylacetonate and said ruthenium compound being in a molar ratio of from about 1:20 to about 20:1.