This invention provides a process for producing 1,4-butanediol by (1) selectively hydrogenating acrolein to a product mixture of allyl alcohol and residual acrolein in a 2:1 ratio, (2) converting the product mixture to acrolein diallyl acetal under acidic conditions, (3) selectively hydroformylating the acrolein diallyl acetal to a trialdehyde, and (4) reacting the trialdehyde under substantially neutral hydrolysis/hydrogenation conditions to yield 1,4-butanediol.Acrolein is converted into tetrahydrofuran employing the process conditions described above, except that the step (4) hydrolysis/hydrogenation reaction is conducted under acidic conditions.