Abstract
The influence of addition of H20 on the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide by Co2(CO)8catalyst has been investigated under a syngas pressure of 1000 kg/cm2 in phenolic solvents. The addition of 7-20 vol% H20 to m-cresol or phenol solvent suppressed the formation of methanol and *as effective in increasing the catalyst activity and selectivity for ethanol(EtOH)formation. The addition of H20 showed a tendency to improve the selectivity for ethylene glycol (EG) formation. A Co2(CQ)8-H20-phenol catalyst system gave about 70% se lectivity to C2-oxygenated compounds (EtOH+EG) and high space-time yield of those compounds (164.0 g//.11). The role of H20 is discussed.
