Method of making acetals by catalytic reaction of aldehydes with hydroxyalkanes

A process which comprises reacting a C.sub.1 to C.sub.12 saturated aldehyde or a C.sub.3 to C.sub.12 unsaturated aldehyde with

• (1) a C.sub.1 to C.sub.12, monohydroxyalkane, to produce an acetal, as follows:
• ##STR8## in the case of a saturated aldehyde, or to produce an acetalic ether, as follows:
• ##STR9## in the case of an unsaturated aldehyde, or with (2) a C.sub.2 to C.sub.3 dihydroxyalkane, to produce a closed ring acetal, as follows:
• ##STR10## in the case of a saturated aldehyde, or to produce a closed ring acetalic ether, as follows:
• ##STR11## in the case of an unsaturated aldehyde, said reacting being effected by intimately contacting a mixture of the reactants with a particulate solid metallic catalyst comprising an alloy of palladium and thallium,
• wherein
• R is alkyl having 1-12 carbon atoms,
• R.sub.1 is alkyl having 1-12 carbon atoms,
• R.sub.2 is selected from --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 -- and --CH(CH.sub.3)CH.sub.2 --,
• R.sub.3 is alkenyl having 2-12 carbon atoms, and
• R.sub.4 is the hydrocarbon residue of the group resulting from the addition of a hydroxyl group in R.sub. OH or R.sub.2 (OH).sub.2, across the double bond of R.sub.3.