Homogeneously Catalysed Hydroformylation Reactions

The catalytic addition of CO and H2 (synthesis gas) to olefins (hydroformylation or oxo-synthesis) is one of the major industrial applications of homogeneous catalysis. Over 6 million metric tons of aldehydes or alcohols (oxo-products) are produced worldwide per year. Commodities based on the C4 oxygenates currently have 

One of the key problems in hydroformylation of long chain olefins using modified rhodium catalysts is the isolation of the high-boiling products and the recovery of the ejqjensive, thermally-sensitive catalyst in active and selective form. The rich 

If hydroformylation is carried out in the presence of primary or secondary amines, condensation with the initially formed aldehyde and subsequent hydrogenation of the resulting imine or enamine can occur under suitable conditions. The overall reaction sequence is referred to as hydroaminomethylation. The intramo- 

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Because of the generally excellent solubility of metal catalysts in RTILs, many of the reactions studied in these media are homogeneously metal catalysed. For example, rhodium catalysed hydroformylation reactions have been studied at length and a wide variety of phosphine ligands used. This particular reaction in RTILs has just been the subject of an extensive review. In most cases, only minimal leaching of the catalyst out of the ionic liquid phase is observed and the catalysts can be very effectively recycled. These efforts are necessary because the industrial aqueous-biphasic process (Chapter 10) only works effectively for smaller olefins and therefore alternative approaches are needed for more hydrophobic, higher-mass olefins. 

Hydroformylation represents the most industrially important homogeneous catalysed reaction by volume [2, 3]. The petrochemical, agrochemical and pharmaceutical industries are particularly interested in this transformation. The reaction uses syngas (COiH mix) and a catalyst, commonly rhodium or platinum, to transform an olefin into an aldehyde (Scheme 9.1) [4]. 

Chlorostannate ionic liquids have been used in hydroformylation reactions [23], Acidic [bmimjCl-SnCb and [l-butyl-4-methylpyridinium]Cl-SnCl2 were prepared from mixing the respective [cation]+ Cl with tin(II)chloride in a ratio of 100 104, much in the same way that the chloroaluminates are made (see Chapter 4). Both these chlorostannate ionic liquids melt below 25 °C. Addition of Pd(PPh3)2Cl2 to these chlorostannate ionic liquids leads to a reaction medium that catalyses the hydroformylation of alkenes such as methyl-3-pentenoate as shown in Scheme 8.9. The ionic liquid-palladium catalyst solution is more effective than the corresponding homogeneous dichloromethane-palladium catalyst solution. The product was readily separated from the ionic liquid by distillation under vacuum. This is an important reaction as it provides a clean route to adipic acid. 

The hydroformylation of olefins is the most widely used homogeneous catalytic process using CO gas. It involves the addition of one molecule of CO and H2 to an olefin in the presence of a transition metal catalyst, most frequently based on cobalt or rhodium, resulting in the formation of an aldehyde. Generally, it is believed that the activation of H2 in cobalt-catalysed hydroformylation occurs on the unsaturated species Co2(CO)7 or Co(acylXCO)3 formed by the following reactions ... 

A wide variety of new approaches to the problem of product separation in homogeneous catalysis has been discussed in the preceding chapters. Few of the new approaches has so far been commercialised, with the exceptions of a the use of aqueous biphasic systems for propene hydroformylation (Chapter 5) and the use of a phosphonium based ionic liquid for the Lewis acid catalysed isomerisation of butadiene monoxide to dihydrofuran (see Equation 9.1). This process has been operated by Eastman for the last 8 years without any loss or replenishment of ionic liquid [1], It has the advantage that the product is sufficiently volatile to be distilled from the reactor at the reaction temperature so the process can be run continuously with built in product catalyst separation. Production of lower volatility products by such a process would be more problematic. A side reaction leads to the conversion of butadiene oxide to high molecular weight oligomers. The ionic liquid has been designed to facilitate their separation from the catalyst (see Section 9.7)... 

Addition of molecules across unsaturated organic bonds is an extremely important process that includes reactions such as hydrogenation, hydroformylation, oxidation, hydrocyanation, hydrosilylation and many others. These reactions are often most effectively catalysed by homogeneous catalysts and in this chapter we will focus on hydrogenation (addition of H2) and hydroformylation (addition of H2 and CO), which are shown generically in Scheme 8.1. 

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