The present invention relates to a catalyst composition for hydroformylation and a method of preparing an aldehyde using the same. More specifically, the present invention provides a catalyst composition for hydroformylation including a specific phosphite-based ligand and a transition metal compound in a specific amount range, thereby being capable of greatly lowering a use amount of an expensive transition metal compound and exhibiting excellent catalyst activity or stability. In addition, by using the catalyst composition in hydroformylation, excellent reaction efficiency may be provided and iso-aldehyde may be generated in high yield.

The present disclosure relates to a new catalytic process for the production of methanol from carbon dioxide, comprising: (1) the conversion of carbon dioxide and hydrogen to formic acid or formate salts; (2) converting the formic acid or formate salts to diformate esters of diols; (3) hydrogenating the diformate esters to methanol and diols. The diols produced from the hydrogenation reaction can be recovered and re-used to prepare the diformate esters.

The present invention relates to: a method for converting a hydroxyl group of an alcohol; and a catalyst which makes the method possible. A method for converting a hydroxyl group of an alcohol according to the present invention is characterized by producing a compound represented by CH(R.sup.1)(R.sup.2)Nu (wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and Nu are as defined below) by reacting an alcohol represented by CH(R.sup.1)(R.sup.2)OH (wherein each of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 represents a hydrogen atom, an optionally substituted alkyl group, or the like) and a compound having an active proton, which is represented by H-Nu (wherein Nu represents a group represented by CHX.sup.1-EWG.sup.1 or NR.sup.3R.sup.4; X.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom or the like; EWG.sup.1 represents an electron-withdrawing group; and each of R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 represents a hydrogen atom, an optionally substituted alkyl group, or the like), with each other in the presence of a complex of a group 7-11 metal of the periodic table and at least one solid base that is selected from the group consisting of layered double hydroxides, composite oxides and calcium hydroxide.

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of a deuterated ethanol from ethanol, D.sub.2O, a ruthenium catalyst, and a co-solvent.

Disclosed herein are processes for the decarboxylation, isomerization, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, and cyclization/aromatization of fatty acids involving contacting a starting material which is an unsaturated fatty acid, unsaturated fatty acid derivative, or an unsaturated triglyceride, in the presence of a catalyst at a temperature at which decarboxylation, isomerization, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, and cyclization/aromatization occurs and recovering the unsaturated organic compound product; wherein the catalyst is chloro-1,5-cyclooctadiene iridium (I) dimer. The product may contain at least about 8% by volume aromatic content and less than about 25% by volume aromatic content, and wherein the product contains less than about 1% by volume of naphthalenes.

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of a deuterated ethanol from an acetic acid, an acetate, or an amide by reaction with D.sub.2 in the presence of a transition metal catalyst.

The invention relates to a process for preparing optically active 4-substituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines comprising enantioselective hydrogenation of the corresponding 4-substituted 1,2-dihydroquinolines in presence of a chiral iridium (P,N)-ligand catalyst.

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Methods of synthesizing compounds comprising fluorinated aryl groups are disclosed, wherein said methods utilize hydrogen bond directed photocatalytic hydrodefluorination.

Methods of synthesizing and isolating facial-tris-homoleptic phenylpyridinato iridium (III) photocatalysts are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods of recovering excess 2-phenylpyridine ligands from said syntheses.

Among other things, the present invention encompasses the applicant's recognition that epoxide carbonylation can be performed industrially utilizing syngas streams containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide and varying amounts carbon dioxide. Contrary to expectation, the epoxide carbonylation reaction proceeds selectively in the presence of these mixed gas streams and incorporates excess CO in the syngas stream into valuable chemical precursors, resulting in hydrogen streams substantially free of CO. This is economically and environmentally preferable to performing WSGR which releases the excess carbon as CO2. The integrated processes herein therefore provide improved carbon efficiency for processes based on coal or biomass gasification or steam methane reforming.