Ziegler Alcohol Synthesis

Abstract The industrial production of higher and linear primary alcohols with an even number of carbon atoms, involving many sequential steps and this reaction is known as the Ziegler alcohol synthesis, Ziegler higher alcohol synthesis, Ziegler higher‐alcohol synthesis, or simply Ziegler synthesis. The alcohols prepared by this process are generally referred to as the Ziegler alcohols, and triethylaluminum is known as the Ziegler catalyst. This process has been used to produce alcohols of carbon atom distributions from C 2 to beyond C 26 , of which the molecular weight distribution follows the Poisson distribution. The by‐product of this reaction can be converted into alumina via dehydration, and the alumina is known as the Ziegler alumina. This reaction has been extensively modified to enhance the yields of final outcome. This reaction has been applied in industry to produce a series of long chain primary alcohols, which may be used for cosmetics, or further converted into nonionic or anionic detergents.