The disclosure provides a catalyst reaction mixture including a ligand having a backbone with at least one phosphorus atom and at least one nitrogen atom, a chromium compound, and a solvent mixture including decalin and at least one additional solvent, wherein the solvent mixture comprises decalin in an amount of less than 20 wt. % and, optionally, perhydroindane in an amount of 50 wt. % or less, based on the total weight of the solvent mixture. A method of forming a linear alpha olefin through ethylene oligomerization is also provided, the method including contacting ethylene gas with a reaction mixture in a reactor, the reaction mixture including the catalyst reaction mixture of the disclosure; and withdrawing a product stream including at least one linear alpha olefin, such as 1-butene, 1-hexene, or 1-octene, from the reactor.

The invention relates to: a) phosphoramidites of formula (I); b) transition-metal-containing compounds of the formula Me(acac)(CO)L, wherein L is selected from formula (I); c) catalytically active compositions in hydroformylation that have the compounds mentioned under a) and b); d) a method for the hydroformylation of unsaturated compounds by using the catalytically active composition mentioned under c); and e) a multi-phase reaction mixture, containing unsaturated compounds, a gas mixture, which comprises carbon monoxide and hydrogen, aldehydes, and the catalytically active composition described under c).

A method for preparing a phosphorus-containing ligand is provided, which includes: mixing a phosphorus chloride compound, polypyridine ionic liquid-loaded porous microspheres with a first organic solvent to obtain a first mixture, and mixing a compound in Formula (2) with a second organic solvent to obtain a second mixture,

##STR00001## wherein Z is a multivalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group or a multivalent aromatic hydrocarbon group comprising at least one substituent group, wherein the substituent group is selected from hydrogen atom, halogen atom, C.sub.1-C.sub.10 alkyl group, C.sub.1-C.sub.10 alkoxy group, C.sub.1-C.sub.10 alkanoyl group, aryl group, heteroaryl group, cyano group, or nitro group, and n is an integer from 1 to 8; and mixing the first mixture with the second mixture to make the first mixture react with the second mixture to obtain a reaction mixture, removing generated HCl, filtrating to obtain a filter liquor, and treating the filter liquor to obtain the phosphorus-containing ligand.

A process for the hydrocyanation of an organic compound containing at least one olefinic group comprising reacting the organic compound with hydrogen cyanide in the presence of a catalyst complex comprising at least one transition metal and a phosphorus-containing ligand comprising a calixarene backbone and at least two aryl phosphite or aryl phosphoramidite groups chemically bonded to the backbone.

A process for the hydrocyanation of an organic compound containing at least one olefinic group comprising reacting the organic compound with hydrogen cyanide in the presence of a catalyst complex comprising at least one transition metal and an organic ligand containing at least one PN linkage, wherein the P and N atoms of the PN linkage are cach bonded to two other atoms.