42a.    ANDERSON, R. B., FELDMAN, J., AND STORCH, H. H.  Synthesis of Alcohols by Hydrogenation of Carbon Monoxide.  Ind. Eng. Chem., vol. 44, 1952, pp. 2418-2424; Chem. Abs., vol. 47, 1953, p. 291.

                Processes involving the catalytic synthesis of alcohols from CO and H₂ may be divided into 2 classes:  Alcohol syntheses in which alcohols are usually the predominant products, and variations of the Fischer-Tropsch process with Fe catalysts in which the product contains olefinic and paraffinic hydrocarbon, alcohols, acids, esters, aldehydes, and ketones.  The alcohol syntheses include the MeOH, the higher alcohol, and the isot\syntheses.  The MeOH and higher alcohol syntheses employ mixed catalysts of active components such as Cu and oxides of Zu, Cr, and Mn, with alkali oxides added as promoter for the higher alcohol synthesis.  Th is the active component of isocatalysts.  Higher alcohols from these processes have branched C chains.  Under some conditions the isosynthesis produces sizable yields of hydrocarbons.  Alkali oxides seem to be the only important promoter for Fe Fischer-Tropsch catalysts.  The nature of the Fe phase, oxide, carbide or nitride, is important.  Processes producing sizable yields of alcohol include the fluidized, synol, and nitrided catalyst syntheses.  Fischer-Tropsch alcohols are chiefly primary straight-chain alcohols.  Available data indicate that the mechanism of chain growth in alcohol syntheses is different from that of the Fischer-Tropsch processes.