Accordingly the water extraction of this invention will not only remove free phosphoric acidic compounds from the metal-organophosphite ligand complex catalyst containing reaction product fluids, the water also swprisingly removes the phosphorus acidic material of the conversion product salt formed by the use of the organic nitrogen compound scav› enger when employed. i.e .• the phosphorus acid of said conversion product salt remains behind in the water, while the treated reaction product fluid, along with the reactivated (free) organic nitrogen compound is returned to the hydro- formylation reaction zone. when organopo› 

Another problem that has been observed lyphosphite ligand promoted metal catalysts are employed in hydroformylation processes. e.g .• continuous liquid catalyst recycle hydroformylation processes. that involve harsh con- ditions such as recovery of the aldehyde via a vaporizer› separator, i.e., the slow loss in catalytic activity of the catalysts is believed due at least in part to the harsh condi› tions such as exist in a vaporizer employed in the separation and recovery of the aldehyde product from its reaction product fluid. For instance, it has been found that when an organopolyphosphite promoted rhodium catalyst is placed under harsh conditions such as high temperature and low carbon monoxide partial pressure, that the catalyst deacti› vates at an accelerated pace with time. due most likely to the formation of an inactive or less active rhodium species, which may also be susceptible to precipitation under pro› longed exposure to such harsh conditions. Such evidence is also consistent with the view that the active catalyst which under hydroformylation conditions is believed to comprise a complex of rhodium. organopolyphosphite, carbon monox› ide and hydrogen. loses at least some of its coordinated carbon monoxide ligand during exposure to such harsh conditions as encountered in vaporization, which provides a route for the formation of catalytically inactive or less active rhodium species. The means for preventing or minimizing such catalyst deactivation and/or precipitation involves car› rying out the invention described and taught in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/756,789, referred to above, which comprises carrying out the hydroformylation process under conditions of low carbon monoxide partial pressure in the presence of a free heterocyclic nitrogen compound as disclosed therein. is believed the free 

By way of further explanation it heterocyclic nitrogen compound serves as a replacement ligand for the lost carbon monoxide ligand thereby forming a neutral intermediate metal species comprising a complex of the metal, organopolyphosphite. the heterocyclic nitrogen compound and hydrogen during such harsh conditions. e.g .• vaporization separation. thereby preventing or minimizing the formation of any such above mentioned catalytic inac› tive or less active metal species. It is further theorized that the maintenance of catalytic activity. or the minimization of its deactivation. throughout the course of such continuous liquid recycle hydroformylation is due to regeneration of the active catalyst from said neutral intermediate metal species in the reactor (i.e. hydroformylation reaction zone) of the particular hydroformylation process involved. It is believed that under the higher syn gas pressure hydroformylation conditions in the reactor, the active catalyst complex com- prising metal. e.g .. rhodium. organopolyphosphite, carbon monoxide and hydrogen is regenerated as a result of some of the carbon monoxide in the reactant syn gas replacing the heterocyclic nitrogen ligand of the recycled neutral inter› mediate rhodium species. That is to say. carbon monoxide having a stronger ligand affinity for rhodium, replaces the more weakly bonded heterocyclic nitrogen ligand of the 

recycled neutral intermediate rhodium species that was formed during vaporization separation as mentioned above, thereby reforming the active catalyst in the hydroformyla› tion reaction zone. deactivation due to 

Thus the possibility of metal catalyst such harsh conditions is said to be minimized or prevented by carrying out such distillation of the desired aldehyde product from $_{the }$metal-organopolyphosphite catalyst con› taining reaction product fluids in the added presence of a free heterocyclic nitrogen compound having a five or six mem› bered heterocyclic ring consisting of 2 to 5 carbon atoms and from 2 to 3 nitrogen atoms, at least one of said nitrogen atoms containing a double bond. Such free heterocyclic nitrogen compounds may be selected from the class con› sisting of diazole, triazole, diazine, and triazine compounds, such as, e.g .• benzimidazole or benzotriazole. and the like. The term "free" as it applies to said heterocyclic nitrogen compounds is employed therein to exclude any acid salts of such heterocyclic nitrogen compounds, ie .. salt compounds formed by the reaction of any phosphorus acidic compound present in the hydroformylation reaction product fluids with such free heterocyclic nitrogen compounds as discussed herein above. preferred to 

It is to be understood that while it may be employ only one free heterocyclic nitrogen compound at a time in any given hydroformylation process. if desired, mixtures of two or more different free heterocyclic nitrogen compounds may also be employed in any given process. Moreover the amount of such free heterocyclic nitrogen compounds present during harsh conditions, e.g., the vapor› ization procedure, need only be that minimum amount necessary to furnish the basis for at least some minimization of such catalyst deactivation as might be found to occur as a result of carrying out an identical metal catalyzed liquid recycle hydroformylation process under essentially the same conditions, in the absence of any free heterocyclic nitrogen compound during vaporization separation of the aldehyde product. Amounts of such free heterocyclic nitrogen com› pounds ranging from about 0.01 up to about 10 weight percent. or higher if desired, based on the total weight of the hydroformylation reaction product fluid to be distilled should be sufficient for most purposes. acidity from the 

An alternate method of transferring hydroformylation reaction product fluid to an aqueous frac› tion is through the intermediate use of a heterocyclic amine which has a fluorocarbon or silicone side chain of sufficient size that it is immiscible in both the hydroformylation reaction product fluid and in the aqueous fraction. The heterocyclic amine may first be contacted with the hydro› formylation reaction product fluid where the acidity present in the reaction product fluid will be transferred to the nitrogen of the heterocyclic amine. This heterocyclic amine layer may then be decanted or otherwise separated from the reaction product fluid before contacting it with the aqueous fraction where it again would exist as a separate phase. The heterocyclic amine layer may then be returned to contact the hydroformylation reaction product fluid. invention may be 

The hydroformylation processes of this carried out using, for example, a fixed bed reactor, a fluid bed reactor, a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), or a slurry reactor. The optimum size and shape of the catalysts will depend on the type of reactor used. In general, for fluid bed reactors. a small, spherical catalyst particle is preferred for easy fluidization. With fixed bed reactors. larger catalyst particles are preferred so the back pressure within the reactor is kept reasonably low. The at least one reaction zone employed in this invention may be a single vessel or may 

