| abstract |
This invention relates to a process for separating one or more organophosphorus ligand degradation products, one or more reaction byproducts and one or more formylester products from a reaction product fluid comprising one or more unreacted unsaturated ester reactants, a metal-organophosphorus ligand complex catalyst, optionally free organophosphorus ligand, said one or more organophosphorus ligand degradation products, said one or more reaction byproducts, said one or more products, a polar solvent and a nonpolar solvent by phase separation wherein(i) the selectivity of the polar phase for the organophosphorus ligand with respect to the one or more products is expressed by a partition coefficient ratio Ef1 which is a value greater than about 2.5, (ii) the selectivity of the polar phase for the organophosphorus ligand with respect to the one or more organophosphorus ligand degradation products is expressed by a partition coefficient ratio Ef2 which is a value greater than about 2.5, and (iii) the selectivity of the polar phase for the organophosphorus ligand with respect to the one or more reaction byproducts is expressed by a partition coefficient ratio Ef3 which is a value greater than about 2.5. |