Patent ID: 8431753

Claim:
A process comprising the step of: contacting a reactant comprising 1-butanol with a base-treated catalyst composition under suitable reaction conditions to produce a reaction product comprising 2-ethylhexanol; wherein the suitable reaction conditions include a temperature of about 350° C. to about 425° C. and a pressure from about 0.1 MPa to about 20.7 MPa; and wherein the base-treated catalyst composition is obtained by treating an initial catalyst composition comprising a hydroxyapatite of Formula (III): (M m M′ n M″ p M′″ q ) 5 (PO 4 ) 3 (OH) (III) wherein M is Mg; M′ is Ca; M″ is Sr; M′″ is Ba; m is any number between 0 and 1 inclusive; n is any number between 0 and 1 inclusive; p is any number between 0 and 1 inclusive; q is any number between 0 and 1 inclusive; and m+n+p+q=1 with a base at a treatment temperature from about 25° C. to about 300° C. for a treatment time of about 1 minute to about 24 hours, and optionally washing the isolated base-treated catalyst composition with a minimal amount of water.