Preparation of n-butyraldehyde and/or n-butanol

A process for the preparation of n-butyraldehyde and/or n-butanol, wherein

• a) 1,3-butadiene or 1,3-butadiene containing hydrocarbon streams are caused to react with an alcohol of the formula
• ROH I,
• in which the radical R is a C.sub.2 -C.sub.20 alkyl or alkenyl group which may be unsubstituted or substituted by 1 or 2 C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 alkoxy or hydroxy groups, or R is a C.sub.6 -C.sub.10 -aryl group or a C.sub.7 -C.sub.11 -aralkyl group or the methyl group, at elevated temperature and under superatmospheric pressure in the presence of a Bronsted acid or in the presence of a complex of a Group Ib), VIIb), or VIIIb) element with ligands containing phosphorus or nitrogen to form a mixture of the adducts of the formulas II ##STR10## and III ##STR11## b) the adduct III is isomerized to the adduct II, c) the adduct II is isomerized in the presence of a homogeneous or heterogeneous transition metal element catalyst in the liquid phase or in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst containing a transition metal element in the gaseous phase to form the enol ether of the formula IV ##STR12## and d) n-butyraldehyde and/or n-butanol is/are produced from this ether IV by the reaction thereof with hydrogen and water or water only in the presence of a homogeneous or heterogeneous transition metal element catalyst in the liquid phase or in the presence of a transition metal element containing heterogeneous catalyst in the gaseous phase and the alcohol ROH I is again liberated, and the liberated alcohol ROH I is recycled to the stage defined as partial reaction a).