Manufacture of alkanol and glycol esters

In a process for the concurrent synthesis of alkanol and vicinal glycol esters from mixtures of carbon monoxide and hydrogen which comprises the following steps:

• (a) contacting said mixtures of carbon monoxide and hydrogen with a liquid medium containing one or more aliphatic carboxylic acids and a ruthenium-containing catalyst and a co-catalyst species,
• (b) heating said reaction mixture to a temperature of between about 100.degree. C. and 350.degree. C., at superatmospheric pressures of 500 psi or greater with sufficient carbon monoxide and hydrogen to satisfy the stoichiometry of the desired ester syntheses, until substantial formation of the desired esters of the alkanols and vicinal glycols has been achieved,
• (c) isolating said esters contained therein;
• (d) the improvement which comprises utilizing as said co-catalyst species a quaternary aryl or alkaryl phosphonium salt whereby the selectivity to the vicinal glycol esters relative to the alkanol esters is increased.