Process for making 3-hydroxypropanal and 1,3-propanediol

A process for making 3-hydroxypropanal and 1,3-propanediol which comprises intimately contacting

• (a) ethylene oxide,
• (b) tertiary phosphine-modified cobalt carbonyl catalyst, said phosphine being a hydrocarbylene-bis(monophosphabicyclononane) in which each phosphorus atom is joined to hydrocarbylene and is a member of a bridge linkage without being a bridgehead atom and which hydrocarbylene-bis(monophosphabicyclononane) has 18 to 50 carbon atoms, 8 carbon atoms thereof together with a phosphorus atom being members of each of the two bicyclic skeletal structures, wherein said phosphine, prior to being complexed with said cobalt carbonyl catalyst, is partially oxidized to provide an oxygen to phosphorus ratio no more than about 0.5,
• (c) carbon monoxide, and
• (d) hydrogen, the molar ratio of carbon monoxide to hydrogen being from about 4:1 to about 1:6,
• in liquid-phase solution in an inert reaction solvent, at a temperature of from about 30.degree. C. to about 150.degree. C. and a pressure of from about 50 psi to about 10,000 psi.

A process for making 3-hydroxypropanal and 1,3-propanediol which comprises intimately contacting

• (a) ethylene oxide,
• (b) tertiary phosphine-modified cobalt carbonyl catalyst, said phosphine being 1,2-bis(9-phosphabicyclononane)ethane, wherein the atom ratio of phosphorous to cobalt ranges from about 1:1 to about 3:1 and wherein said phosphine, prior to being complexed with said cobalt carbonyl catalyst, is partially oxidized to provide an oxygen to phosphorus ratio ranging from about 0.01:1 to about 0.5:1,
• (c) carbon monoxide, and
• (d) hydrogen, the molar ratio of carbon monoxide to hydrogen being from about 4:1 to about 1:6,
• in liquid-phase solution in an inert reaction solvent, at a temperature of from about 30.degree. C. to about 150.degree. C. and a pressure of from about 50 psi to about 10,000 psi.