1235.    GRAVES, G. D.  Higher Alcohols Formed From Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen.  Ind. Eng. Chem., vol. 23, 1931, pp. 1381-1385; Chem. Abs., vol. 26, 1932, p. 1235.

        Several higher alcohols have been identified as byproducts of the industrial high-pressure MeOH synthesis:  1-propanol, isobutanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, 2-methyl-1-pentanol, 2, 4-dimethyl-1-pentanol, 4-methyl-1-hexanol, isopropanol, 3-methyl-2-butanol and 2, 4-dimethyl-3-penatol.  Strong evidence for the presence of the following was obtained:  2, 4-dimethyl-1-hexanol, 4- or 5-methyl-1-heptanol, 3-pentanol, 2-pentanol and 2-methyl-3-pentanol.  Acids, esters, ketones, olefins, and tertiary alcohols were absent.  The presence of all the products identified can be accounted for by assuming that the mechanism of synthesis is intermolecular dehydration of 2 lower alcohols involving H₂ either from the hydroxylated C atom or the adjacent C atom.  H separates most readily from a CH₂ group, more difficulty from a Me group, and not at all from a CH group.

       GRAYSON-SMITH, H.  See abs. 1624.