Fluorous hydrogenation

Begue and coworkers recently achieved an improvement in this method by performing the epoxidation reaction in hexafluoro-2-propanol [120]. They found that the activity of hydrogen peroxide was significantly increased in this fluorous alcohol, in relation to trifluoroethanol, which allowed for the use of 30% aqueous H202. Interestingly, the nature of the substrate and the choice of additive turned out to have important consequences for the lifetime of the catalyst. Cyclic dis-ubstituted olefins were efficiently epoxidized with 0.1 mol% of MTO and 10 mol%... 

The strategy of using two phases, one of which is an aqueous phase, has now been extended to fluorous . systems where perfluorinated solvents are used which are immiscible with many organic reactants nonaqueous ionic liquids have also been considered. Thus, toluene and fluorosolvents form two phases at room temperature but are soluble at 64 °C, and therefore,. solvent separation becomes easy (Klement et ai, 1997). For hydrogenation and oxo reactions, however, these systems are unlikely to compete with two-phase systems involving an aqueous pha.se. Recent work of Richier et al. (2000) refers to high rates of hydrogenation of alkenes with fluoro versions of Wilkinson s catalyst. De Wolf et al. (1999) have discussed the application and potential of fluorous phase separation techniques for soluble catalysts. 

Keurentjes et al. performed a continuous hydrogenation of 1-butene in supercritical carbon dioxide.[9,10] A fluorous derivative of Wilkinson s catalyst was prepared in situ by mixing the ligand with [(COD)RhCl]2 under hydrogen / carbon dioxide pressure (Figure 4.37). 

Various other biphasic solutions to the separation problem are considered in other chapters of this book, but an especially attractive alternative was introduced by Horvath and co-workers in 1994.[1] He coined the term catalysis in the fluorous biphase and the process uses the temperature dependent miscibility of fluorinated solvents (organic solvents in which most or all of the hydrogen atoms have been replaced by fluorine atoms) with normal organic solvents, to provide a possible answer to the biphasic hydroformylation of long-chain alkenes. At temperatures close to the operating temperature of many catalytic reactions (60-120°C), the fluorous and organic solvents mix, but at temperatures near ambient they phase separate cleanly. Since that time, many other reactions have been demonstrated under fluorous biphasic conditions and these form the basis of this chapter. The subject has been comprehensively reviewed, [2-6] so this chapter gives an overview and finishes with some process considerations. 

Figure 6.2. Fluorous biphasic hydrogenation of methyl t/h-cinnamate catalysed by rhodium complexes.[23]...

Figure 6.3. Fluorous soluble ionic catalysts for the hydrogenation of 1-octene.[30]...

The team of Crooks is involved in the synthesis and the use of dendrimers and, more particularly, poly(amidoamine) dendrimers (PAMAM), for the preparation of dendrimer-encapsulated mono- or bimetallic nanoparticles of various metals (Pt, Pd, Cu, Au, Ag, Ni, etc.) [55, 56]. The dendrimers were used as nanocatalysts for the hydrogenation of allyl alcohol and N-isopropylacrylamide or other alkenes under different reaction conditions (water, organic solvents, biphasic fluorous/or-ganic solvents or supercritical COz). The hydrogenation reaction rate is dependent on dendrimer generation, as higher-generation dendrimers are more sterically... 

Fluorous Catalysts and Fluorous Phase Catalyst Separation for Hydrogenation Catalysis... 

In a similar fashion, 2 a, 2 c, 4 a and 4 c were also tested in the hydrogenation of 1-hexene under fluorous biphasic conditions (l-hexene/PFMCH = l 2 (v v)) [12, 14]. Relatively low activities were found for all catalysts, with activities increasing in the order 4a<4c<2a<2c. 

A cationic complex, formed in situ from 5 and [Rh(COD)2]OTf, was also active in biphasic hydrogenation [14]. No preference for the fluorous phase was found for ligands containing only one perfluoroalkyl tail, but neutral and cationic complexes, containing mono- and bidentate 4a or 5, respectively, were selectively dissolved in the fluorous phase. No leaching and recycling studies were performed. 

Some of the improved fluorous arylsilylphosphines in the library 11 (a, b, x, pos) were tested in the context of hydrosilylation catalysis [24]. Rh and phosphine leaching were driven down further to non-detectable levels (<0.1%) and 0.8%, respectively, and it can be expected that even better results are possible for hydrogenation catalysis. 

Fluorous Anions for the Separation of Cationic Hydrogenation Catalysts... 

Recently, the fluorous biphasic separation technique has been enriched with two new developments, both of which were demonstrated in hydrogenation. The need for a fluorous solvent can be eliminated by using fluorous silica as a fluorous catalyst scavenger. In liquid-liquid biphasic systems, reversible expan-... 

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