conjugate base of an acid bonded to a radical of said alcohol (typically a compound of the form RB where R is a radical derived from an alcohol ROH, and B is a conjugate base of an acid HB); and, optionally (4) A ligan.d. (1 ) The source of a group VIII metal can be the metal itself (which may be dispersed on a support material such as carbon, silica or alumina); or a compound of the metal, prefer