Reppe catalysts

The intermediate N-(l-methyl-2-propynyl)aniline can be prepared by the reaction of aniline with acetylene on copper acetylide catalyst (Reppe, 1955). 

Although stoichiometric ethynylation of carbonyl compounds with metal acetyUdes was known as early as 1899 (9), Reppe s contribution was the development of catalytic ethynylation. Heavy metal acetyUdes, particularly cuprous acetyUde, were found to cataly2e the addition of acetylene to aldehydes. Although ethynylation of many aldehydes has been described (10), only formaldehyde has been catalyticaHy ethynylated on a commercial scale. Copper acetjlide is not effective as catalyst for ethynylation of ketones. For these, and for higher aldehydes, alkaline promoters have been used. 

Reppe s work also resulted in the high pressure route which was estabUshed by BASF at Ludwigshafen in 1956. In this process, acetylene, carbon monoxide, water, and a nickel catalyst react at about 200°C and 13.9 MPa (2016 psi) to give acryUc acid. Safety problems caused by handling of acetylene are alleviated by the use of tetrahydrofuran as an inert solvent. In this process, the catalyst is a mixture of nickel bromide with a cupric bromide promotor. The hquid reactor effluent is degassed and extracted. The acryUc acid is obtained by distillation of the extract and subsequendy esterified to the desked acryhc ester. The BASF process gives acryhc acid, whereas the Rohm and Haas process provides the esters dkecdy. 

Monosubstituted acetylenes add formaldehyde in the presence of copper, silver, and mercury acetyUde catalysts to give acetylenic alcohols (58) (Reppe reaction). Acetylene itself adds two molecules (see Acetylene-DERIVED chemicals). 

Acetylene is condensed with carbonyl compounds to give a wide variety of products, some of which are the substrates for the preparation of families of derivatives. The most commercially significant reaction is the condensation of acetylene with formaldehyde. The reaction does not proceed well with base catalysis which works well with other carbonyl compounds and it was discovered by Reppe (33) that acetylene under pressure (304 kPa (3 atm), or above) reacts smoothly with formaldehyde at 100°C in the presence of a copper acetyUde complex catalyst. The reaction can be controlled to give either propargyl alcohol or butynediol (see Acetylene-DERIVED chemicals). 2-Butyne-l,4-diol, its hydroxyethyl ethers, and propargyl alcohol are used as corrosion inhibitors. 2,3-Dibromo-2-butene-l,4-diol is used as a flame retardant in polyurethane and other polymer systems (see Bromine compounds Elame retardants). 

Nickel plays a role in the Reppe polymeriza tion of acetylene where nickel salts act as catalysts to form cyclooctatetraene (62) the reduction of nickel haUdes by sodium cyclopentadienide to form nickelocene [1271 -28-9] (63) the synthesis of cyclododecatrienenickel [39330-67-1] (64) and formation from elemental nickel powder and other reagents of nickel(0) complexes that serve as catalysts for oligomerization and hydrocyanation reactions (65). 

Diol Components. Ethylene glycol (ethane 1,2-diol) is made from ethylene by direct air oxidation to ethylene oxide and ring opening with water to give 1,2-diol (40) (see Glycols). Butane-1,4-diol is stiU made by the Reppe process acetylene reacts with formaldehyde in the presence of catalyst to give 2-butyne-l,4-diol which is hydrogenated to butanediol (see Acetylene-DERIVED chemicals). The ethynylation step depends on a special cuprous... 

Garboxylation Reaction. The carboxylation reaction represents the conversion of acetylene and olefins into carboxyHc acids (qv) or their derivatives. The industrially important Reppe process is used in the synthesis of P-unsaturated esters from acetylene. Nickel carbonyl is the catalyst of choice (134). 

In hydrocarboxylation, the Reppe reaction, the catalyst can be nickel or cobalt carbonyl or a palladium complex where R = H or alkyl. 

The Reppe process for manufacture of acrylic esters uses acetylene and carbon monoxide, with a nickel carbonyl catalyst having high acute and longterm toxicity, to react with an alcohol to make the corresponding acrylic ester ... 

Pioneering work involving the combinahon of an organosulfide, a C-C unsaturated organic compound and a transihon metal catalyst was reported by Reppe in 1953, in which Ni(CO)4-catalyzed hydrothiocarboxylahori of alkyne or ethylene by thiol and CO was briefly described to give the corresponding thioesters 1 or 2 (an application of one of the so-called Reppe reachons) (Eqs. 7.1 and 7.2) [12, 13]. 

The catalytic cyclo-oligomerization of 1,3-butadiene was first reported by Reed in 1954 using modified Reppe catalysts.4 Wilke et al., however, demonstrated in pioneering, comprehensive and systematic mechanistic investigations, the implications, versatility and the scope of the nickel-catalyzed 1,3-diene cyclo-oligomerization reactions.3,5... 

In another Reppe process, acetylene is reacted with formaldehyde to yield butyndiol, which can be converted to butadiene for the manufacture of the synthetic rubber Buna the catalyst is nickel cyanide ... 

Pettit and coworkers—metal hydride intermediates by weak base attack over Fe carbonyl catalysts. Pettit et al.ls approached the use of metal carbonyl catalysts for the homogeneous water-gas shift reaction from the standpoint of hydroformyla-tion by the Reppe modification.7 In the typical hydroformylation reaction, an alkene is converted to the next higher aldehyde or alcohol through reaction of CO and H2 with the use of a cobalt or rhodium carbonyl catalyst. However, in the Reppe modification, the reduction is carried out with CO and H20 in lieu of H2 (Scheme 6) ... 

Interestingly, in the case of the Reppe modification, the catalyst Fe(CO)5, combined with a Bronsted or Lewis base, while very poor for standard... 

For this reaction, the early investigations of Reppe pointed out the need for catalyst precursors to operate at high pressure [2], It is necessary to work at 150-300 bar of CO in order to stabilize the two catalytic species [Co(H)(CO)4] or [Ni(H)(X)(CO)2] that adopt a mechanism analogous to the cobalt-catalyzed hydroformylation [44,45]. Many industrial applications have been reported [28,46,47] for the synthesis of plasticizers and detergents. Similarly, the two-step methoxycarbonylation of 1,3-butadiene has been explored by BASF and other companies to produce dimethyl 1,6-hexanedioate (adipate) directly from the C4 cut [28,48]. The first step operates at 130 °C and... 

In-the Reppe process, formaldehyde and acetylene are reacted in.the presence of a.copper acetylide catalyst to give 2-butyne-l,4-diol. That compound is then hydrogenated to give BDO. 

The Reppe process was commercialized in the 1950s. It involves the reaction pf acetylene, carbon monoxide, and an alcohol (methyl, ethyl, etc.) to give an acrylic ester (an acrylate). The process is carried out at 125°F and 15—30 psi in a nickel carbonyl/aqueous hydrochloric acid solution. The nickel carbonyl acts as both a catalyst and a secondary source of carbon monoxide. 

Reppe reaction involves carbonylation of methanol to acetic acid and methyl acetate and subsequent carbonylation of the product methyl acetate to acetic anhydride. The reaction is carried out at 600 atm and 230°C in the presence of iodide-promoted cobalt catalyst to form acetic acid at over 90% yield. In the presence of rhodium catalyst the reaction occurs at milder conditions at 30 to 60 atm and 150-200°C. Carbon monoxide can combine with higher alcohols, however, at a much slower reaction rate. 

Ni-organic chemistry of butadiene started in the early 1950 s when this substrate could be slowly dimerized to cis, cis-cycloocta-l,5-diene in relatively low yields ( 40%) by using so-called Reppe catalysts of the type L2Ni (CO)2. Carbonyl-free low-valent Ni-complexes and catalysts on the basis of Cr and Ti were more effective and also led to further ring-syntheses (Scheme 1-1)... 

The concept that acetic acid can be prepared by carbonylation originated in use of routine acids. Carbonylation of methanol was first practiced in a high temperature and pressure process using boron trifluoride or phosphoric acid. A carbon monoxide pressure of 10,000 psi at 300 C was needed for the reaction (10). Metal salts came to replace acids as carbonylation catalysts. Carbonylation of methanol using a metal carbonyl catalyst was first discovered by Reppe and practised later by BASF. However, the process again required high pressure, 7500-10,000 psi, and the selectivity was low (11-14). 

Reactions of Alkenes and Alkynes in Presence of Metal Carbonyls. Metal carbonyls—e.g., Ni(CO)4, Fe(CO)5, and Co2(CO)s—and hydrocarbonyls— HCO(CO)4 and H2Fe(CO)4—act as catalysts for the transformation of simple unsaturated materials into a wide variety of larger molecules. Perhaps the simplest example is that of hydroformylation (Equation 7). Reppe chemistry... 

When thoroughly dried, aurous acetylide readily expl, not only on rapid heating(see above) but also on impact, friction or even when touched with a camel s hair brush. Several explns have occurred during its prepn in various labs. When expld,it produces a flame and leaves a black, pondered residue of gold. Reppe et al (Ref 3) found Aua Ca as a suitable catalyst in prepn of some org compds... 

Reppe et al (Ref 5) investigated HgaCj as a possible catalyst for some org syntheses, but found it inferior to Cu, Ag and Au acetyl-ides... 

The industrial catalytic Reppe process is usually applied in the production of acrylic acid. The catalyst is NiBr2 promoted by copper halides used under forcing conditions. The BASF process, for example, is operated at 225°C and 100 atm in tetrahydrofuran solvent.188 Careful control of reaction conditions is required to avoid the formation of propionic acid, the main byproduct, which is difficult to separate. Small amounts of acetaldehyde are also formed. Acrylates can be produced by the stoichiometric process [Eq. (7.20)], which is run under milder conditions (30-50°C, 1-7 atm). The byproduct NiCl2 is recycled ... 

Cyclooligomerization. Ever since the first cyclodimerization reaction of 1,3-butadiene to yield 1,5-cycloctadiene catalyzed by a so-called Reppe catalyst was reported45 [Eq. (13.12)], cyclooligomerization of conjugated dienes has been intensively studied ... 

Cuprous Acetylide Catalysts. CuaC, supported on silica gel, kieselgubr etc can be used as a catalyst in some org reactions Refs l)W.Reppe, Acetylene Chemistry, ... 

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