Selective hydroformylation process

A process for preparing primarily linear aldehyde products by the selective and catalytic hydroformylation of alpha-olefins contained in a mixture of alpha-olefins and internal olefins, wherein said alpha-olefins in the mixture constitute from 10 to 90 mole % of the olefin mixture, said alpha and internal olefins containing from 2 to 30 carbon atoms, by:

• A. contacting each mole of said alpha-olefins and internal olefins in said mixture to be hydroformylated in a deoxygenated environment, with from about 0.001 to 0.1 moles of a three component, ligand stabilized, homogeneous platinum(II) catalyst complex selected from the group consisting of:
• PtCl.sub.2 [P(C.sub.6 H.sub.5).sub.3 ].sub.2 -SnCl.sub.2,
• PtCl.sub.2 [P(p-CH.sub.3.C.sub.6 H.sub.4).sub.3 ].sub.2 -SnCl.sub.2,
• PtCl.sub.2 [P(n-C.sub.4 H.sub.9).sub.3 ].sub.2 -SnCl.sub.2,
• PtCl.sub.2 [As(C.sub.6 H.sub.5).sub.3 ].sub.2 -SnCl.sub.4
• PtCl.sub.2 [P(C.sub.6 H.sub.5).sub.3 ].sub.2 -GeCl.sub.2,
• PtCl.sub.2 [P(CH.sub.3).sub.2 C.sub.6 H.sub.5 ].sub.2 -SnCl.sub.2,
• PtCl.sub.2 [P(p-CH.sub.3 O.C.sub.6 H.sub.4).sub.3 ].sub.2 -SnCl.sub.2,
• PtCl.sub.2 [P(OC.sub.6 H.sub.5).sub.3 ].sub.2 -SnCl.sub.2 and
• PtCl.sub.2 [As(C.sub.6 H.sub.5).sub.3 ].sub.2 -SnCl.sub.2,
• said tin(II) or germanium(II) chlorides mole ratio to said ligand stabilized platinum(II) catalyst complex ranging from about 2:1 to 8:1, in the presence of sufficient inert solvent to disperse the components of the admixture, to form a deoxygenated reaction mixture,
• B. pressurizing said reaction mixture to between about 100 psig to 3,000 psig with a sufficient equi-volume admixture of a gaseous hydrogen to carbon monoxide, to satisfy the stoichiometry of the aldehyde-forming hydroformylation reaction,
• C. heating said pressurized reaction admixture between 25.degree. to 125.degree. C until between about 80% to about 95% of said alpha-olefins contained in said olefin mixture is converted to linear aldehyde, and then
• D. isolating said linear aldehyde products contained therein.