Catalyst solutions

Most metal ion-exchanged TSMs swell with water or polar organic solvents. The resultant intercalate stores up both the solvent and the metal ion in the interlayer spaces, and is regarded as a mass of the microvessels filled with the solution of the metal ion. For liquid-phase homogeneous catalyses 

Some attempts have been made to use a cationic metal complex intercalate as a catalyst these efforts are briefly reviewed in an account of the catalyst type (b) in Fig. 1. The results advocate the possibility of the immobilization of catalyst solution in the interlayer spaces. The catalytic activity of Cu -TSM or Cu Pd -TSM swelled with water or an organic solvent for the reaction involving molecular oxygen is introduced in the following section. 

The oxidation of propylene has been chosen as a probe reaction to study the catalytic activity of Cu Pd -TSM. The olefin oxidation in an acidic solution of Cu(II) and Pd(U) chlorides, well known as the Wacker reaction, is achieved when olefins are selectively oxidized to ketones or aldehydes by hydrated Pd, leaving Pd . The Pd is oxidized back to Pd by 2Cu, and the resulting Cu is reoxidized by dissolved oxygen. Because the corrosive nature of the catalyst solution is a serious disadvantage for practical use, supported copper-palladium catalysts have been proposed to operate the reaction in a gas flow reactor (40). 

Cu Pd -, Cu -, and Pd -TSMs are completely different from each other in catalytic activity. Cu - and Pd -TSMs catalyze no reaction and the total oxidation of propylene, respectively, whereas Cu Pd -TSM catalyzes the oxidation to form acetone selectively, suggesting that the Wacker type oxidation takes place over the catalyst (41). The results are shown in Fig. 6. The higher initial activity is observed for Cu Pd -TSM with the lower Cu Pd ratio, namely the higher Pd loading. This might be explainable by the second order dependency of the reaction rate on Pd concentration, observed for the homogeneous system by Vargaftik et al. in the 

The constant activity of Cu Pd -TSM for the selective formation of acetone was achieved in a few hours and was maintained at least for 20 h. The results demonstrate that a Pd and Cu pair in the interlayer region of TSM catalyzes the Wacker reaction as well as that in the aqueous solution. As illustrated in Fig. 7, the interlayer spaces of TSM are considered to be filled with an aqueous solution similar to that used in the Wacker reaction, although the counteranions are now negatively charged silicate sheets instead of Cl ions. Evidence for the presence of water in the interlayer space has been obtained by TPD and XRD studies on the catalyst samples. The TPD spectrum shows two peaks at around 100 and 200°C, corresponding to the desorption of weakly adsorbed water and that of intercalated water, respectively. The latter peak temperature is higher than the reaction tempera- 

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In a typical procedure, a solution of 0.175 mmol of L- -amino acid and 0.175 mmol of NaOH in 1 ml of water was added to a solution of 0.100 mmol of Cu(N03)2in 100 ml of water in a 100 ml flask. Tire pH was adjusted to 6.0-6.5. The catalyst solution was cooled to 0 C and a solution of 1.0 mmol of 3.8c in a minimal amount of ethanol was added, together with 2.4 mmol of 3.9. The flask was sealed carefully. After 48 hours of stirring at 0 C the reaction mixture was extracted with ether, affording 3.10c in quantitative yield After evaporation of the ether from the water layer (rotary evaporator) the catalyst solution can be reused without a significant decrease in enantioselectivity. 

A useful catalyst for asymmetric aldol additions is prepared in situ from mono-0> 2,6-diisopropoxybenzoyl)tartaric acid and BH3 -THF complex in propionitrile solution at 0 C. Aldol reactions of ketone enol silyl ethers with aldehydes were promoted by 20 mol % of this catalyst solution. The relative stereochemistry of the major adducts was assigned as Fischer- /ir o, and predominant /i -face attack of enol ethers at the aldehyde carbonyl carbon atom was found with the (/ ,/ ) nantiomer of the tartaric acid catalyst (K. Furuta, 1991). 

In the one-stage process (Fig. 2), ethylene, oxygen, and recycle gas are directed to a vertical reactor for contact with the catalyst solution under slight pressure. The water evaporated during the reaction absorbs the heat evolved, and make-up water is fed as necessary to maintain the desired catalyst concentration. The gases are water-scmbbed and the resulting acetaldehyde solution is fed to a distUlation column. The tad-gas from the scmbber is recycled to the reactor. Inert materials are eliminated from the recycle gas in a bleed-stream which flows to an auxdiary reactor for additional ethylene conversion. 

Catalyst recovery is a major operational problem because rhodium is a cosdy noble metal and every trace must be recovered for an economic process. Several methods have been patented (44—46). The catalyst is often reactivated by heating in the presence of an alcohol. In another technique, water is added to the homogeneous catalyst solution so that the rhodium compounds precipitate. Another way to separate rhodium involves a two-phase Hquid such as the immiscible mixture of octane or cyclohexane and aliphatic alcohols having 4—8 carbon atoms. In a typical instance, the carbonylation reactor is operated so the desired products and other low boiling materials are flash-distilled. The reacting mixture itself may be boiled, or a sidestream can be distilled, returning the heavy ends to the reactor. In either case, the heavier materials tend to accumulate. A part of these materials is separated, then concentrated to leave only the heaviest residues, and treated with the immiscible Hquid pair. The rhodium precipitates and is taken up in anhydride for recycling. 

Typical values for mf n are 0.5 to 2.5. Gommercially used bases include sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide (lime), magnesium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium alurninate, calcium carbonate, or various mixtures. For certain appHcations, PAG can be made from waste grades of aluminum chloride [7446-70-0] such as spent catalyst solutions from Friedel-Grafts synthesis (see Friedel-Grafts reaction). 

A Hquid-phase variation of the direct hydration was developed by Tokuyama Soda (78). The disadvantages of the gas-phase processes are largely avoided by employing a weakly acidic aqueous catalyst solution of a siHcotungstate (82). Preheated propylene, water, and recycled aqueous catalyst solution are pressurized and fed into a reaction chamber where they react in the Hquid state at 270°C and 20.3 MPa (200 atm) and form aqueous isopropyl alcohol. Propylene conversions of 60—70% per pass are obtained, and selectivity to isopropyl alcohol is 98—99 mol % of converted propylene. The catalyst is recycled and requites Htde replenishment compared to other processes. Corrosion and environmental problems are also minimized because the catalyst is a weak acid and because the system is completely closed. On account of the low gas recycle ratio, regular commercial propylene of 95% purity can be used as feedstock. 

After flashing the propylene, the aqueous solution from the separator is sent to the purification section where the catalyst is separated by a2eotropic distillation 88 wt % isopropyl alcohol is obtained overhead. The bottoms containing aqueous catalyst solution are recycled to the reactor, and the light ends are stripped of low boiling impurities, eg, diisopropyl ether and acetone. A2eotropic distillation yields dry isopropyl alcohol, and the final distillation column yields a product of more than 99.99% purity. 

The tert-huty hydroperoxide is then mixed with a catalyst solution to react with propylene. Some TBHP decomposes to TBA during this process step. The catalyst is typically an organometaHic that is soluble in the reaction mixture. The metal can be tungsten, vanadium, or molybdenum. Molybdenum complexes with naphthenates or carboxylates provide the best combination of selectivity and reactivity. Catalyst concentrations of 200—500 ppm in a solution of 55% TBHP and 45% TBA are typically used when water content is less than 0.5 wt %. The homogeneous metal catalyst must be removed from solution for disposal or recycle (137,157). Although heterogeneous catalysts can be employed, elution of some of the metal, particularly molybdenum, from the support surface occurs (158). References 159 and 160 discuss possible mechanisms for the catalytic epoxidation of olefins by hydroperoxides. 

EBHP is mixed with a catalyst solution and fed to a horizontal compartmentalized reactor where propylene is introduced into each compartment. The reactor operates at 95—130°C and 2500—4000 kPa (360—580 psi) for 1—2 h, and 5—7 mol propylene/1 mol EBHP are used for a 95—99% conversion of EBHP and a 92—96% selectivity to propylene oxide. The homogeneous catalyst is made from molybdenum, tungsten, or titanium and an organic acid, such as acetate, naphthenate, stearate, etc (170,173). Heterogeneous catalysts consist of titanium oxides on a siUca support (174—176). 

Corrosiveness. The catalyst solutions are corrosive, and the reactors, separation devices, etc that come in contact with them must be made of expensive corrosion-resistant materials. 

In the suspension process, which was the first method to be commercially developed, propylene is charged into the polymerisation vessel under pressure whilst the catalyst solution and the reaction diluent (usually naphtha) are metered in separately. In batch processes reaction is carried out at temperatures of about 60°C for approximately 1-4 hours. In a typical process an 80-85% conversion to polymer is obtained. Since the reaction is carried out well below the polymer melting point the process involves a form of suspension rather than solution polymerisation. The polymer molecular weight can be controlled in a variety of... 

The following details for the commercial manufacture of poly(vinyl methyl ether) have been made available. Agitated vinyl methyl ether at 5°C is treated over a period of 30 minutes with 0.2% of catalyst solution consisting of 3% BF3 2H20 in dioxane. When the reaction rises to 12°C the reaction is moderated by brine cooling. Over the next 3-4 hours further monomer and catalyst is added. The autoclave is then closed and the temperature allowed to rise slowly to 100°C. 

A number of reaction variables or parameters have been examined. Catalyst solutions should not be prepared and stored since the resting catalyst is not stable to long term storage. However, the catalyst solution must be aged prior to the addition of allylic alcohol or TBHP. Diethyl tartrate and diisopropyl tartrate are the ligands of choice for most allylic alcohols. TBHP and cumene hydroperoxide are the most commonly used terminal oxidant and are both extremely effective. Methylene chloride is the solvent of choice and Ti(i-OPr)4 is the titanium precatalyst of choice. Titanium (IV) t-butoxide is recommended for those reactions in which the product epoxide is particularly sensitive to ring opening from alkoxide nucleophiles. ... 

The precise structure of the zirconium catalyst was examined by NMR analysis. When Zr(Ot-Bu)4 (1 equiv), 8b (2 equiv), and NMI (3 equiv.) were combined in benzene-dg at 23 °C, two independent species which were assigned to a new zirconium catalyst and free 8b were observed. Although the signals of free 8b were still observed when Zr(Ot-Bu)4 (1 equiv), 8b (1 equiv), and NMI (3 equiv.) were stirred at 23 °C, only the signals assigned to the new zirconium catalyst were detected when the mixture was stirred at 80 °C for 2.5 h. These results indicated the formation of 9b as the new zirconium catalyst. The structure was also supported by an experiment in which Zr(Ot-Bu)4 (0.2 equiv), 8a (0.2 equiv), NMI (0.6 equiv), and MS 3 A were combined in benzene and the mixture was stirred for 2.5 h at 80 °C (formation of 9a). Imine Id (1 equiv.) and 7a (1.2 equiv.) were then added to the catalyst solution, and the mixture was stirred for 48 h at 23 °C. After the same work-up procedures as described above, the desired piperidine derivative was obtained in >98% yield with 89% ee, values comparable with those... 

The first example of homogeneous transition metal catalysis in an ionic liquid was the platinum-catalyzed hydroformylation of ethene in tetraethylammonium trichlorostannate (mp. 78 °C), described by Parshall in 1972 (Scheme 5.2-1, a)) [1]. In 1987, Knifton reported the ruthenium- and cobalt-catalyzed hydroformylation of internal and terminal alkenes in molten [Bu4P]Br, a salt that falls under the now accepted definition for an ionic liquid (see Scheme 5.2-1, b)) [2]. The first applications of room-temperature ionic liquids in homogeneous transition metal catalysis were described in 1990 by Chauvin et al. and by Wilkes et ak. Wilkes et al. used weekly acidic chloroaluminate melts and studied ethylene polymerization in them with Ziegler-Natta catalysts (Scheme 5.2-1, c)) [3]. Chauvin s group dissolved nickel catalysts in weakly acidic chloroaluminate melts and investigated the resulting ionic catalyst solutions for the dimerization of propene (Scheme 5.2-1, d)) [4]. 

The first successful hydrogenation reactions in ionic liquids were studied by the groups of de Souza [45] and Chauvin [46] in 1995. De Souza et al. investigated the Rh-catalyzed hydrogenation of cyclohexene in l-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium ([BMIM]) tetrafluoroborate. Chauvin et al. dissolved the cationic Osborn complex [Rh(nbd)(PPh3)2][PFg] (nbd = norbornadiene) in ionic liquids with weakly coordinating anions (e.g., [PFg] , [BFJ , and [SbF ] ) and used the obtained ionic catalyst solutions for the biphasic hydrogenation of 1-pentene as seen in Scheme 5.2-7. 

Although the reactants have only limited solubility in the catalyst phase, the rates of hydrogenation in [BMIM][SbFg] are almost five times faster than for the comparable reaction in acetone. All ionic catalyst solutions tested could be reused repeatedly. The loss of rhodium through leaching into the organic phase lay below the detection limit of 0.02 %. These results are of general importance for the field of... 

Temperature-dependent phase behavior was first applied to separate products from an ionic liquid/catalyst solution by de Souza and Dupont in the telomerization of butadiene and water [34]. This concept is especially attractive if one of the substrates shows limited solubility in the ionic liquid solvent. 

Ley et al. reported oxidation of alcohols catalyzed by an ammonium perruthenate catalyst dissolved in [NEtJBr and [EMIM][PFg] [60]. Oxygen or N-methylmorpholine N-oxide is used as the oxidant and the authors describe easy product recovery by solvent extraction and mention the possibility of reusing the ionic catalyst solution. 

The authors describe a clear enhancement of the catalyst activity by the addition of the ionic liquid even if the reaction medium consisted mainly of CH2CI2. In the presence of the ionic liquid, 86 % conversion of 2,2-dimethylchromene was observed after 2 h. Without the ionic liquid the same conversion was obtained only after 6 h. In both cases the enantiomeric excess was as high as 96 %. Moreover, the ionic catalyst solution could be reused several times after product extraction, although the conversion dropped from 83 % to 53 % after five recycles this was explained, according to the authors, by a slow degradation process of the Mn complex. 

Finally, it was possible to demonstrate that the ionic catalyst solution can, in principle, be recycled. By repetitive use of the ionic catalyst solution, an overall activity of 61,106 mol ethylene converted per mol catalyst could be achieved after two recycle runs. 

A similar catalytic dimerization system has been investigated [40] in a continuous flow loop reactor in order to study the stability of the ionic liquid solution. The catalyst used is the organometallic nickel(II) complex (Hcod)Ni(hfacac) (Hcod = cyclooct-4-ene-l-yl and hfacac = l,l,l,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedionato-0,0 ), and the ionic liquid is an acidic chloroaluminate based on the acidic mixture of 1-butyl-4-methylpyridinium chloride and aluminium chloride. No alkylaluminium is added, but an organic Lewis base is added to buffer the acidity of the medium. The ionic catalyst solution is introduced into the reactor loop at the beginning of the reaction and the loop is filled with the reactants (total volume 160 mL). The feed enters continuously into the loop and the products are continuously separated in a settler. The overall activity is 18,000 (TON). The selectivity to dimers is in the 98 % range and the selectivity to linear octenes is 52 %. 

Very few data [47] relating to the disposal of used ionic liquids are available. In Difasol technology, the used ionic liquid is taken out of the production system and the reactor is refilled with fresh catalyst solution. 

During the continuous reaction, alkene, CO, H2, and CO2 were separately fed into the reactor containing the ionic liquid catalyst solution. The products and uncon-... 

However, attempts to reuse the ionic catalyst solution in consecutive batches failed. While the products could readily be isolated after the reaction by extraction with SCCO2, the active nickel species deactivated rapidly within three to four batch-wise cycles. The fact that no such deactivation was observed in later experiments with the continuous flow apparatus described below (see Figure 5.4-2) clearly indicate the deactivation of the chiral Ni-catalyst being mainly related to the instability of the active species in the absence of substrate. 

In the continuous hydrovinylation experiments, the ionic catalyst solution was placed in the reactor R, where it was in intimate contact with the continuous reaction phase entering from the bottom (no stirring was used in these experiments). The reaction phase was made up in the mixer from a pulsed flow of ethylene and a continuous flow of styrene and compressed CO2. 

Figure 5.4-3 shows the results of a lifetime study for Wilke s catalyst dissolved, activated, and immobilized in the [EMIM][(CF3S02)2N]/compressed CO2 system. Over a period of more than 61 h, the active catalyst showed remarkably stable activity while the enantioselectivity dropped only slightly. These results clearly indicate - at least for the hydrovinylation of styrene with Wilke s catalyst - that an ionic liquid catalyst solution can show excellent catalytic performance in continuous product extraction with compressed CO2. 

The cationic nature of the copper(I) catalyst means that it is immobilized in the ionic liquid. This permits the PMMA product to be obtained, with negligible copper contamination, by a simple extraction procedure with toluene (in which the ionic liquid is not miscible) as the solvent. The ionic liquid/catalyst solution was subsequently reused. 

Notes. This method can be made fully reproducible by using a pre-activated catalyst. For a 100mmol scale reaction, the above catalyst solution (several drops) was mixed with the alk-l-yne (several mmol) and trichlorosilane (several mmol), and the total heated under reflux for ca. 1 h. After cooling,... 

Figure 7 shows a simplified scheme of the oligomerization process. The ethylene is compressed in compressor C and fed into reactors R1-R3. It finds its way into the vessel VI in which the catalyst solution is stored. The ethylene enriched catalyst solution, as shown in Fig. 7, proceeds to the reactors. Heat from the reactors is led off through heat exchangers situated between the... 

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