Manufacture of oxygenated compounds

A process for producing acetaldehyde, or a mixture of acetaldehyde and ethanol which comprises reacting carbon monoxide and hydrogen at a temperature of from 150.degree. to about 300.degree. C. and superatmospheric pressure in the presence of a liquid catalyst system consisting essentially of a ruthenium carbonyl halide complex, or a combination of ruthenium carbonyl complex and a separate source of halide selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal chloride, an alkali metal bromide, hydrogen chloride, and hydrogen bromide, and a solvent in which said catalyst components are dissolved and recovering the product from said reaction.

A process for producing one of ethanol acetaldehye, and mixtures thereof, by reacting carbon monoxide and hydrogen in a solvent comprising an aprotic organic amide at a temperature of from about 150.degree. to about 300.degree. C. and superatmospheric pressure in the presence of a liquid catalyst system consisting essentially of of ruthenium in complex combination with carbon monoxide and a halide ligand formed from a tin component selected from the group consisting of tin chloride and tin bromide as catalyst therefor and recovering the product resulting from said process.