Tridentate phosphines and method of forming aldehyde hydrogenation catalysts

1. A process for hydrogenation of aldehydes to alcohols comprising the steps of:

a. providing an aldehyde selected from the group consisting of 2 to 60 carbon atoms;

b. providing a homogeneous catalyst produced by mixing a rhodium catalyst precursor and a ligand of formula I

 wherein n is 3 to 5, R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 are hydrocarbyl radicals and each R 6 and R 7 is individually selected from the group consisting of alkyl, aryl, and hydrogen radicals;

c. hydrogenating the aldehyde in any suitable solvent that does not interfere with the hydrogenation catalyst to form an alcohol.

2. The hydrogenation process of claim 1 in a solvent selected from the group consisting of ethers, alcohols, aromatics, alkanes and mixtures thereof at a concentration of from about 0.1 Mol/L to about 10 Mol/L %, with the exception that the alcohol solvent is less than about 8 Mol/L.

3. The hydrogenation process of claim 2 wherein the ether is selected from the group consisting of diethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, diglyme and tetraglyme.

4. The hydrogenation process of claim 2 wherein the alcohol selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, butanol, pentanol, hexanol, heptanol, octanol and nonanol.

5. The hydrogenation process of claim 2 wherein the aromatic is toluene.

6. The hydrogenation process of claim 2 wherein the alkane is hexane.

7. The hydrogenation process of claim 1 wherein the aldehyde is generated in situ by reacting an olefin with a hydroformylation catalyst promoted by a bis-chelating phosphorus ligand.

8. The hydrogenation process of claim 7 wherein the bis-chelating phosphorus ligand is selected from the group consisting of ligands T and U:

9. The process of claim 1 wherein the ligand of Formula I is selected from the group consisting of: