Vapor-phase hydrogen transfer reaction of carbonyl compound with alcohol

In a vapor-phase hydrogen transfer reaction for reacting in the vapor-phase a carbonyl compound having an alkenyl or aryl group and a primary or secondary alcohol in the presence of a vapor-phase hydrogen transfer catalyst, the improvement comprising carrying out said reaction in the presence of a catalyst having a composition represented by the following formula

• Mg.sub.a X.sub.b Y.sub.c O.sub.d
• wherein X represents at least one element selected from the group consisting of boron, aluminum, silicon, phosphorus, titanium, vanadium, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, tin, antimony, lead, bismuth, lanthanum and cerium, Y represents at least one element selected from the group consisting of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals excepting magnesium, O represents oxygen, and a, b, c and d represent the atomic ratios of the individual elements, and when a is 1, b represents a number of 0.01 to 0.5, c represents a number of 0 to 0.5, and d is a number determined by the atomic valences and atomic ratios of the individual elements.