The synthesis of ethylene glycol from formaldehyde

The literature and patent data on the hydroformylation of formaldehyde to glycolaldehyde — an intermediate in the synthesis of ethylene glycol — are surveyed. The principal types of catalytic systems based on rhodium and cobalt carbonyl complexes and the characteristic features of the reaction are examined and compared with the hydroformylation of olefins. The reaction mechanism is discussed in the light of the reactions of the formaldehyde complexes of transition metals. The bibliography includes 116 references.