Aldehydes from Wacker type oxidation

Exploration of Basic Catalyst Components The study of direct oxidative acetoxyla-tion of 1,3-butadiene began with the use of Wacker-type homogeneous catalyst Pd(OAc)2-CuCl2 [10]. This catalyst system gave low l,4-diacetoxy-2-butene selectivity, and there was a problem in separating the catalyst. After that, liquid-and vapor-phase methods using a Pd-based catalyst were studied in parallel. Catalyst activity was greatly improved by the addition of Bi or Sb to the Pd catalyst in the gas-phase reaction [11]. However, catalyst activity was reduced by the adhesion of resin by-product derived from unsaturated aldehydes on the catalyst surface. Various improvements have been tried in the gas phase, but catalyst robustness has never met industrial requirements. 

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