Aqueous - ionic liquids biphasic

A green aqueous-ionic liquid biphasic hydroxylation of benzene was performed using metal dodecanesulfonate salts as catalysts [73]. With 1 equiv. of H O, the phenol selectivity reached 90% at 54 and 60% conversion of benzene and oxidant, respectively. 

The enzyme may be dissolved in a mixed aqueous-ionic liquid medium, which may be mono- or biphasic or it could be suspended or dissolved in an ionic liquid, with little or no water present. Alternatively, whole cells could be suspended in an ionic liquid, in the presence or absence of a water phase. Mixed aqueous-organic media are often used in biotransformations to increase the solubility of hydrophobic reactants and products. Similarly, mixed aqueous-ionic liquid media have been used for a variety of biotransformations, but in most cases there is no clear advantage over water-miscible organic solvents such as tert-butanol. 

Figure 2. Different approaches of the variation of the application phase of oxo catalysts. FBS = fluorous biphase [multiphase] system PEG = polyethylene glycol NAIL = non-aqueous ionic liquid.

Membrane technology is a recent development to separate (or concentrate) water-soluble catalysts (mainly hydroformylation catalysts) [147, 149], although a prior art is known [194, 195]. There are proposals for the use of immobilized or re-immobilized aqueous phases for large-scale processes (cf. Ref. [222] and Section 3.1.1.6). Carbon dioxide as a solvent for biphasic hydroformylations has been described by Rathke and Klinger [184], although the use of CO2 for hydroformylation purposes was described earlier [185]. For the use of supercritical CO2 cf. Section 3.1.13 with non-aqueous ionic liquids cf. Section 3.1.1.2.2. Investigations with supercritical water are in an early state (e. g., Ref. [223]). 

Other interesting systems have been employed, such as CO/HjO (water gas) or CO/Hj (syngas) as reducing mixtures [49, 50], phase transfer catalysis [37], and more recently, aqueous [46, 47] and non-aqueous ionic liquid [48] biphasic catalysis which offer more promise for practical uses. Some interesting examples of metal complexes grafted onto oxides [55, 56] or supported metals [38, 39] as arene hydrogenation catalysts have been provided. 

Using ionic liquid biphasic systems means that melts of specially designed, low melting salts are used as one of the liquid phases in combination with an aqueous phase or an immiscible organic solvent... 

In comparison with classical processes involving thermal separation, biphasic techniques offer simplified process schemes and no thermal stress for the organometal-lic catalyst. The concept requires that the catalyst and the product phases separate rapidly, to achieve a practical approach to the recovery and recycling of the catalyst. Thanks to their tunable solubility characteristics, ionic liquids have proven to be good candidates for multiphasic techniques. They extend the applications of aqueous biphasic systems to a broader range of organic hydrophobic substrates and water-sensitive catalysts [48-50]. 

These alternative processes can be divided into two main categories, those that involve insoluble (Chapter 3) or soluble (Chapter 4) supports coupled with continuous flow operation or filtration on the macro - nano scale, and those in which the catalyst is immobilised in a separate phase from the product. These chapters are introduced by a discussion of aqueous biphasic systems (Chapter 5), which have already been commercialised. Other chapters then discuss newer approaches involving fluorous solvents (Chapter 6), ionic liquids (Chapter 7) and supercritical fluids (Chapter 8). 

In the case of ionic liquids, these general aspects for all fluid-fluid reactions are of particular importance, since mass transfer into an ionic liquid layer is generally slower than into an organic or aqueous medium. This is because ionic liquids usually have much higher viscosities than organic solvents. The least viscous ionic liquids are somewhat similar to ethylene glycol as demonstrated in Table 7.2. However, many ionic liquids used in liquid-liquid biphasic catalysis are significantly more viscous. 

The group of Olivier-Bourbigou has shown, for example, that phosphite ligands can be used in the Rh-catalysed hydroformylation in ionic liquids as well as the well-known phosphine systems [51], Since phosphite ligands are usually unstable in aqueous media this adds, apart from the much better solubility of higher olefins in ionic liquids, another important advantage to biphasic hydroformylation using ionic liquids in comparison to the established biphasic reactions in water. 

Nevertheless, the application of ionic liquids in the liquid-liquid, biphasic Rh-catalysed hydroformylation offers technically interesting advantages vs. the traditional aqueous biphasic catalysis e.g. much higher solubility for longer chain olefins and the compatibility of the ionic liquid with phosphite ligands [51]. 

A wide variety of new approaches to the problem of product separation in homogeneous catalysis has been discussed in the preceding chapters. Few of the new approaches has so far been commercialised, with the exceptions of a the use of aqueous biphasic systems for propene hydroformylation (Chapter 5) and the use of a phosphonium based ionic liquid for the Lewis acid catalysed isomerisation of butadiene monoxide to dihydrofuran (see Equation 9.1). This process has been operated by Eastman for the last 8 years without any loss or replenishment of ionic liquid [1], It has the advantage that the product is sufficiently volatile to be distilled from the reactor at the reaction temperature so the process can be run continuously with built in product catalyst separation. Production of lower volatility products by such a process would be more problematic. A side reaction leads to the conversion of butadiene oxide to high molecular weight oligomers. The ionic liquid has been designed to facilitate their separation from the catalyst (see Section 9.7)... 

The first example of biphasic catalysis was actually described for an ionic liquid system. In 1972, one year before Manassen proposed aqueous-organic biphasic catalysis [1], Par shall reported that the hydrogenation and alkoxycarbonylation of alkenes could be catalysed by PtCh when dissolved in tetraalkylammonium chloride/tin dichloride at temperatures of less than 100 °C [2], It was even noted that the product could be separated by decantation or distillation. Since this nascent study, synthetic chemistry in ionic liquids has developed at an incredible rate. In this chapter, we explore the different types of ionic liquids available and assess the factors that give rise to their low melting points. This is followed by an evaluation of synthetic methods used to prepare ionic liquids and the problems associated with these methods. The physical properties of ionic liquids are then described and a summary of the properties of ionic liquids that are attractive to clean synthesis is then given. The techniques that have been developed to improve catalyst solubility in ionic liquids to prevent leaching into the organic phase are also covered. 

The dicationic cluster catalyst H4Ru4(r/ -C6H6) [BF4]2, originally developed for biphasic aqueous-organic arene hydrogenation reactions (see Section 8.2.1), has proven to be more effective in ionic liquids presumably due to increased... 

Another environmental issue is the use of organic solvents. The use of chlorinated hydrocarbons, for example, has been severely curtailed. In fact, so many of the solvents favored by organic chemists are now on the black list that the whole question of solvents requires rethinking. The best solvent is no solvent, and if a solvent (diluent) is needed, then water has a lot to recommend it. This provides a golden opportunity for biocatalysis, since the replacement of classic chemical methods in organic solvents by enzymatic procedures in water at ambient temperature and pressure can provide substantial environmental and economic benefits. Similarly, there is a marked trend toward the application of organometal-lic catalysis in aqueous biphasic systems and other nonconventional media, such as fluorous biphasic, supercritical carbon dioxide and ionic liquids. ... 

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