Biphasing examples

A particularly interesting type of micellar catalysis is the autocatalytic self-replication of micelles [58]. Various examples have been described, but a particularly interesting case is the biphasic self-reproduction of aqueous caprylate micelles [59]. In this system ethyl caprylate undergoes hydroxyl catalysed hydrolysis to produce the free carboxylate anion, caprylate. Caprylate micelles then fonn. As these micelles fonn, they solubilize ethylcaprylate and catalyse further production of caprylate anion and caprylate micelles. 

Even cursory inspection of typical (v,[) data shows tliat tire evolution does not follow tire single exponential approach to saturation implied by, for example, (equation C2.14.22) witli initial concentrations Xq Such data are sometimes described as biphasic , and one encounters attempts to fit and inteiyDret tliem witli two exponentials, even tliough tliere does not seem to be any tlieoretical justification for doing so. The basic kinetics of adsorjDtion are described by ... 

Usually, iodides and bromides are used for the carbonylation, and chlorides are inert. I lowever, oxidative addition of aryl chlorides can be facilitated by use of bidcntatc phosphine, which forms a six-membered chelate structure and increa.scs (he electron density of Pd. For example, benzoate is prepared by the carbonylation of chlorobenzene using bis(diisopropylphosphino)propane (dippp) (456) as a ligand at 150 [308]. The use of tricyclohexylphosphine for the carbonylation of neat aryl chlorides in aqueous KOH under biphasic conditions is also recommended[309,310]. 

Singer and Scammells have investigated the y-Mn02 oxidation of codeine methyl ether (CME) to thebaine in the ionic liquid [BMIM][BF4] [63]. The ionic liquid was used in different ways and with mixed results (Scheme 5.1-35). For example, the oxidation of CME in the ionic liquid gave 38 % yield after 120 hours. A similar reaction under biphasic conditions (with diethyl ether) gave a 36 % yield of thebaine. This reaction gave a 25 % yield of thebaine when carried out in tetrahydrofuran... 

From all this, it becomes understandable why the use of traditional solvents (such as water or butanediol) for biphasic catalysis has only been able to fulfil this potential in a few specific examples [23], whereas this type of highly specialized liquid-liquid biphasic operation is an ideal field for the application of ionic liquids, mainly due to their exactly tunable physicochemical properties (see Chapter 3 for more details). 

An example of a stereoselective hydrogenation in ionic liquids was recently successfully demonstrated by Drie en-H6lscher et al. On the basis of investigations into the biphasic water/n-heptane system [51], the ruthenium-catalyzed hydrogenation of sorbic acid to cis-3-hexenoic acid in the [BMIM][PFg]/MTBE system was studied [52], as shown in Scheme 5.2-8. 

Finally, a special example of transition metal-catalyzed hydrogenation in which the ionic liquid used does not provide a permanent biphasic reaction system should be mentioned. The hydrogenation of 2-butyne-l,4-diol, reported by Dyson et al., made use of an ionic liquid/water system that underwent a reversible two-... 

Another interesting recent development is the continuous, Rh-catalyzed hydroformylation of 1-octene in the unconventional biphasic system [BMIM][PF6]/scC02, described by Cole-Hamilton et al. [84]. This specific example is described in more detail, together with other recent work in ionic liquid/scC02 systems, in Section 5.4. 

In the author s group, much lower-melting benzenesulfonate, tosylate, or octyl-sulfate ionic liquids have recently been obtained in combination with imidazolium ions. These systems have been successfully applied as catalyst media for the biphasic, Rh-catalyzed hydroformylation of 1-octene [14]. The catalyst activities obtained with these systems were in all cases equal to or even higher than those found with the commonly used [BMIM][PF6]. Taking into account the much lower costs of the ionic medium, the better hydrolysis stability, and the wider disposal options relating to, for example, an octylsulfate ionic liquid in comparison to [BMIM][PF6], there is no real reason to center future hydroformylation research around hexafluorophosphate ionic liquids. 

Biphasic catalysis is not a new concept for oligomerization chemistry. On the contrary, the oligomerization of ethylene was the first commercialized example of a biphasic, catalytic reaction. The process is known under the name Shell Higher Olefins Process (SHOP) , and the first patents originate from as early as the late 1%0 s. 

One technically important example of an oligomerization that could not be carried out in a liquid-liquid biphasic mode with polar organic solvents or water is the... 

An example of a biphasic, Ni-catalyzed co-dimerization in ionic liquids with weakly coordinating anions has been described by the author s group in collaboration with Leitner et al. [12]. The hydrovinylation of styrene in the biphasic ionic liq-uid/compressed CO2 system with a chiral Ni-catalyst was investigated. Since it was found that this reaction benefits particularly from this unusual biphasic solvent system, more details about this specific application are given in Section 5.4. 

Obviously, there are many good reasons to study ionic liquids as alternative solvents in transition metal-catalyzed reactions. Besides the engineering advantage of their nonvolatile natures, the investigation of new biphasic reactions with an ionic catalyst phase is of special interest. The possibility of adjusting solubility properties by different cation/anion combinations permits systematic optimization of the biphasic reaction (with regard, for example, to product selectivity). Attractive options to improve selectivity in multiphase reactions derive from the preferential solubility of only one reactant in the catalyst solvent or from the in situ extraction of reaction intermediates from the catalyst layer. Moreover, the application of an ionic liquid catalyst layer permits a biphasic reaction mode in many cases where this would not be possible with water or polar organic solvents (due to incompatibility with the catalyst or problems with substrate solubility, for example). 

In comparison with traditional biphasic catalysis using water, fluorous phases, or polar organic solvents, transition metal catalysis in ionic liquids represents a new and advanced way to combine the specific advantages of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. In many applications, the use of a defined transition metal complex immobilized on a ionic liquid support has already shown its unique potential. Many more successful examples - mainly in fine chemical synthesis - can be expected in the future as our loiowledge of ionic liquids and their interactions with transition metal complexes increases. 

The major advantage of the use of two-phase catalysis is the easy separation of the catalyst and product phases. FFowever, the co-miscibility of the product and catalyst phases can be problematic. An example is given by the biphasic aqueous hydro-formylation of ethene to propanal. Firstly, the propanal formed contains water, which has to be removed by distillation. This is difficult, due to formation of azeotropic mixtures. Secondly, a significant proportion of the rhodium catalyst is extracted from the reactor with the products, which prevents its efficient recovery. Nevertheless, the reaction of ethene itself in the water-based Rh-TPPTS system is fast. It is the high solubility of water in the propanal that prevents the application of the aqueous biphasic process [5]. 

Flowever, information concerning the characteristics of these systems under the conditions of a continuous process is still very limited. From a practical point of view, the concept of ionic liquid multiphasic catalysis can be applicable only if the resultant catalytic lifetimes and the elution losses of catalytic components into the organic or extractant layer containing products are within commercially acceptable ranges. To illustrate these points, two examples of applications mn on continuous pilot operation are described (i) biphasic dimerization of olefins catalyzed by nickel complexes in chloroaluminates, and (ii) biphasic alkylation of aromatic hydrocarbons with olefins and light olefin alkylation with isobutane, catalyzed by acidic chloroaluminates. 

This arrangement ensures more efficient overall catalyst utilization and a significant increase in the yield of octenes. As an example, dimer selectivity in the 90-92 % range with butene conversion in the 80-85 % range can be obtained with a C4 feed containing 60 % butenes. Thanks to the biphasic technique, the dimerization... 

Since the catalyst is concentrated and operates in the ionic phase, and also probably at the phase boundary, reaction volumes in the biphasic technology are much lower than in the conventional single-phase Dimersol process, in which the catalyst concentration in the reactor is low. As an example, the Difasol reactor volume can be up to 40 times lower than that classically used in the homogeneous process. 

Ionic liquids operate in true biphasic mode. While the recovery and recyclability of ionic liquid was found to be more efficient than with the conventional AICI3 catalyst (red oil), the selectivity for the monoalkylated aromatic hydrocarbon was lower. In this gas-liquid-liquid reaction, the solubility of the reactants in the ionic phase (e.g. the benzene/ethene ratio in the ionic phase) and the mixing of the phases were probably critical. This is an example in which the engineering aspects are of the utmost importance. 

When either the organic solvent or the ionic liquid is used as pure solvent, proper control over the water content, or rather the water activity, is of crucial importance, as a minimum amount is necessary to maintain the enzyme s activity. For ionic liquids, a reaction can be operated at constant water activity by use of the same methods as established for organic solvents [17]. [BMIM][PFg] or [BMIM][(CF3S02)2N], for example, may be used as pure solvents and in biphasic systems. Water-miscible ionic liquids, such as [BMIM][BF4] or [MMIM][MeS04], can be used in the second case. 

A clean first-order process may erroneously appear to be a biphasic one, and vice versa. If the distortion to the property-time curve is not so evident as in the example, there might be a smooth rise or fall from reactant to product. The linearity of the plot of In (Y, - Kcc) versus time depends on the end point reading Yr.. One must be cautious, however, in ascribing a mildly curved plot of In Y, - W) versus time to a biphasic pattern. Were the observed value of Yx off by a small amount, a simple adjustment could give a straight-line plot indicative of first-order kinetics. Of course, if Tec is adjusted to force linearity, one must surely ask whether the revised value of Yx represents a reasonable extrapolation of the data, lest the proper but more complex reaction pattern be concealed. 

Another example for the use of hydrogen as reductant is observed in the reduction of imine [5b]. New imine reductase activity has been discovered in the anaerobic bacterium Acetobacterium woodii by screening a dynamic combinatorial library of virtual imine substrates, using a biphasic water-tetradecane solvent system. 

There are similarities between the biological actions of inhalants and those of alcohol and barbiturates (Bowen et al. 1996b). For example, acute administration of inhalants affects motor coordination (Moser and Balster 1981) and induces anxiolysis, whereas chronic administration is associated with physical dependence and withdrawal (Bowen et al. 1996a Evans and Balster 1991, 1993). In addition, some inhalant drugs have anticonvulsant properties (Wood et al. 1984). Like other CNS-depressant agents, inhalants have biphasic effects on spontaneous locomotor activity in rodents, with increased activity seen at lower doses and diminished locomotion seen at higher doses (Cause et al. 1985 Kjellstrand et al. 1985). 

Other metals can also be used as a catalytic species. For example, Feringa and coworkers <96TET3521> have reported on the epoxidation of unfunctionalized alkenes using dinuclear nickel(II) catalysts (i.e., 16). These slightly distorted square planar complexes show activity in biphasic systems with either sodium hypochlorite or t-butyl hydroperoxide as a terminal oxidant. No enantioselectivity is observed under these conditions, supporting the idea that radical processes are operative. In the case of hypochlorite, Feringa proposed the intermediacy of hypochlorite radical as the active species, which is generated in a catalytic cycle (Scheme 1). 

Indeed, these reactions proceed at 25 °C in ethanol-aqueous media in the absence of transition metal catalysts. The ease with which P-H bonds in primary phosphines can be converted to P-C bonds, as shown in Schemes 9 and 10, demonstrates the importance of primary phosphines in the design and development of novel organophosphorus compounds. In particular, functionalized hydroxymethyl phosphines have become ubiquitous in the development of water-soluble transition metal/organometallic compounds for potential applications in biphasic aqueous-organic catalysis and also in transition metal based pharmaceutical development [53-62]. Extensive investigations on the coordination chemistry of hydroxymethyl phosphines have demonstrated unique stereospe-cific and kinetic propensity of this class of water-soluble phosphines [53-62]. Representative examples outlined in Fig. 4, depict bidentate and multidentate coordination modes and the unique kinetic propensity to stabilize various oxidation states of metal centers, such as Re( V), Rh(III), Pt(II) and Au(I), in aqueous media [53 - 62]. Therefore, the importance of functionalized primary phosphines in the development of multidentate water-soluble phosphines cannot be overemphasized. 

The most important biphasic liquid systems are probably those that combine a conventional organic phase with another type of solvent, such as water, a fluorous organic solvent, or an ionic liquid [3]. In those cases the solvent can be considered as the support for the catalyst phase and we have therefore limited the examples in this review to those where the recycled liquid catalyst phase is recovered as a whole. 

The term fluorous biphase has been proposed to cover fully fluorinated hydrocarbon solvents (or other fluorinated inert materials, for example ethers) that are immiscible with organic solvents at ambient conditions. Like ionic liquids the ideal concept is that reactants and catalysts would be soluble in the (relatively high-boiling) fluorous phase under reaction conditions but that products would readily separate into a distinct phase at ambient conditions (Figure 5.5). 

Typically the reaction was carried out as follows to a mixture of lipase in the IL were added this racemic alcohol and vinyl acetate as the acyl donor. The resulting mixture was stirred at 35°C and the reaction course was monitored by GC analysis. After the reaction, ether was added to the reaction mixture to form a biphasic layer, and product acetate and unreacted alcohol were extracted with ether quantitatively. The enzyme remained in the IL phase as expected (Fig. 2). Two months later, Kim and co-workers reported similar results and Lozano and Ibora " reported other examples of lipase-catalyzed reaction in June. Further Park and Kazlauskas reported full details of lipase-catalyzed reaction in an IL solvent... 

An example of a large scale application of the aqueous biphasic concept is the Ruhrchemie/Rhone-Poulenc process for the hydroformylation of propylene to n-butanal (Eqn. (15)), which employs a water-soluble rhodium(I) complex of trisulphonated triphenylphosphine (tppts) as the catalyst (Cornils and Wiebus, 1996). 

Ten Brink et al. (2000) have shown how biphasic systems, sometimes with the sparingly soluble alcohols as one phase and an aqueous phase as the other phase, benefit from the strategy for air oxidation to aldehydes/ketones by using water soluble Pd complex of bathophenanthroline disulphonate. This is a nice example of green technology. 

An important problem in emulsified organic-aqueous systems is that of scale-up, which is concerned with the realization of stable emulsions and the separation of phases after the reaction. The use of biphasic membrane systems that contain the enzyme and keep the two phases separated is likely to solve this problem. In the case of 5-naproxen an ee of 92% has been demonstrated without any decay in activity over a period of two weeks of continuous operation. A number of examples of biocatalytic membrane reactors have been provided by Giorno and Drioli (2000) and include the conversion of fumaric acid to L-aspartic acid, L-aspartic acid to L-alanine, and cortexolone to hydrocortisone and prednisolone. 

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