Acrylic Esters, Acryl Amides, and Acrylonitrile

Usually, acrylamides are predominantly hydroformylated to the corresponding a-aldehydes [60]. Interestingly, simple phosphites, such as P(OPh)g or monodentate phosphines, may perform more efficiently than bidentate-coordinating phosphorus ligands [61, 62]. 

Acrylonitrile was reacted with an unmodified cobalt catalyst to produce fi-formyl-propionitrile, which in turn was selectively reduced to y-hydroxy-butyronitrile [64]. In contrast, the use of a Rh complex modified with P(OPh)3 afforded mainly a-formyl-butyronitrile, which is a starting material for the synthesis of the PMMA monomer methyl methacrylate [65]. Occasionally, trapping of the formed cyanopropionaldehyde as acetal proved advantageous [66]. 

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While full terminal selectivity is experienced with mesomerically electron-deficient acrylic acid, acrylic esters, acrylic amides and acrylonitrile, the product ratio arising from the use of styrenes often includes small amounts of branched products [16]. Most commonly, the rra 5-conflguration of arylated products dominates. 

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