and alpha or beta naphthyllithium the alcoholates may be derived from aliphatic monoalcohols or from monofunctional phenolic compounds examples of suitable alcoholates are lithiummethanolate sodiumbutanolate lithiumhexanolate and lithiumphenolate for the introduction of phosphite groups alkali alcoholates derived from unbranched aliphatic monoalcohols are preferable arylalkali compounds are preferably used for producing phosphine groups at elevated temperature e g between about 50 u00b0 and about 90 u00b0 c the conversion proceeds to completion the resulting resin containing phosphine or phosphite groups is washed and dried thereafter this resin is reacted with a solution of a compound or complex of a transition metal preferably this reaction is carried out with hydrogen as a protective gas if carbon monoxide or nitrogen is used as the protective gas the resultant catalyst are less stable by preference the resin is reacted with a solution of a complex of the metal very suitable for this purpose are the organometallic complexes containing at least one ligand that is readily replaceable by a phosphine or phosphite group the central metal atom in the organometallic complex is selected from the transition metals of the groups v vi and vii and viii of the periodic system according to mendeleev such as re fe ru os co rh ir ni pd and pt and in particular rhodium platinum cobalt ruthenium and iridium mixtures of these metals may also be used eligible as ligands in the above mentioned organometallic complex are besides such ligands as co h and u03c3 and u03c0 bonded alkenes organic compounds comprising in their molecule an atom from the groups vb and.