Rhodium complexes carboxylic acids

The separation of rhodium hydride complex from a stream comprising catalyst and high molecular weight aldehyde condensation products using a carboxylic acid functionalized ion exchange resin in illustrated schematically in Figure 2.12. 

Th effect of pH on the rate of hydrogenation of water-soluble unsaturated carboxylic acids and alcohols catalyzed by rhodium complexes with PNS [24], PTA [29], or MePTA r [32] phosphine ligands can be similarly explained by the formation of monohydride complexes, [RhHPJ, facilitated with increasing basicity ofthe solvent. 

Other recent reports have also indicated that mixed-metal systems, particularly those containing combinations of ruthenium and rhodium complexes, can provide effective catalysts for the production of ethylene glycol or its carboxylic acid esters (5 9). However, the systems described in this paper are the first in which it has been demonstrated that composite ruthenium-rhodium catalysts, in which rhodium comprises only a minor proportion of the total metallic component, can match, in terms of both activity and selectivity, the previously documented behavior (J ) of mono-metallic rhodium catalysts containing significantly higher concentrations of rhodium. Some details of the chemistry of these bimetallic promoted catalysts are described here. 

NaOH-HiOz) or to carboxylic acids (with w-chloroperbenzoic acid).-190 Double bonds can be hydroborated in the presence of triple bonds if the reagent is 9-BBN.191 On the other hand, dimesitylborane selectively hydroborates triple bonds in the presence of double bonds.192 Furthermore, it is often possible to hydroborate selectively one particular double bond of a nonconjugated diene.191 When the reagent is catecholborane, hydroboration is catalyzed by rhodium complexes, such as Wilkinson s catalyst.194 Enantioselective hydro-boration-oxidation has been achieved by the use of optically active rhodium complexes.195... 

The most common oxidation states and corresponding electronic configurations of rhodium are +1 (tf8), which is usually square planar although some five coordinate complexes are known, and +3 (T) which is usually octahedral. Dimeric rhodium carboxylates are +2 (oxidation states —1 (industrial applications include rhodium-catalyzed carbonylation of methanol to acetic acid and acetic anhydride, and hydroformylation of propene to tf-butyraldehyde. Enantioselective catalytic reduction has also been demonstrated. 

Ketones and aldehydes, including activated and enolizable substrates and those containing alcohol or carboxylic acid substituents, can be alkynylated using a rhodium(II) catalyst complexed with a bulky phosphine.194... 

Ruthenium and rhodium complexes that contain TMBTP have shown utility in the asymmetric hydrogenation of allylic alcohols,155,156 P-keto esters,155,157 and a,P-unsaturated carboxylic acids.155... 

Not surprisingly, these rhodium and iridium carbene complexes were tested for their catalytic behaviour in the transfer hydrogenation of benzophenone and acetophenone (M +3), the hydrosilylation of alkynes (M +1) and also the catalytic cyclisation of acetylenic carboxylic acids (M +1). Hydrogenation works better for iridium than rhodium and for aromatic than for aliphatic ketones [40,43,44]. The iridium(I) complex is the first iridium catalyst showing activity for the cyclisation of acetylenic carboxylic acids [40]. The results for the hydrosilylation reactions were very moderate. 

In a more conventional approach, Zarka et al. attached a rhodium carbene complex onto an amphiphilic block copolymer [252], The concept is simple and involves the utilisation of a hydroxyalkyl substituted NHC as a ligand for the rhodium(I) catalyst used in hydrofor-mylation of 1-octene. The catalyst is then loaded onto a water-soluble, amphiphilic block copolymer by reacting the alcohol group of the catalyst with a carboxylic acid group of the block copolymer (see Figure 4.81). 

Rhodium compounds and complexes are also commercially important catalysts. The hydroformylation of propene to butanal (a precursor of hfr(2-ethyUiexyl) phthalate, the PVC plasticizer) is catalyzed by hydridocarbonylrhodium(I) complexes. Iodo(carbonyl)rhodium(I) species catalyze the production of acetic acid from methanol. In the flne chemical industry, rhodium complexes with chiral ligands catalyze the production of L-DOPA, used in the treatment of Parkinson s disease. Rhodium(II) carboxylates are increasingly important as catalysts in the synthesis of cyclopropyl compounds from diazo compounds. Many of the products are used as synthetic, pyrethroid insecticides. Hexacyanorhodate(III) salts are used to dope silver halides in photographic emulsions to reduce grain size and improve gradation. 

Other organometallic reagents can be used to convert alkyl halides to carboxylic acid derivatives. Benzylic halides were converted to carboxylic esters with CO in the presence of a rhodium complex, ether a borate ester B(OR )3,... 

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