Hydroformylation, aldehydes

Keywords Hydroformylation / Aldehyde-Functionalized Silanes / Regioselectivity... 

The linear a olefins described m Section 14 15 are starting materials for the preparation of a variety of aldehydes by reaction with carbon monoxide The process is called hydroformylation... 

Excess hydrogen brings about the hydrogenation of the aldehyde and allows the process to be adapted to the preparation of primary alcohols Over 2 X 10 Ib/year of a variety of aldehydes and alcohols is prepared in the United States by hydroformylation... 

Hydroformylation (Section 17 5) An industrial process for prepanng aldehydes (RCH2CH2CH=0) by the reaction of terminal alkenes (RCH=CH2) with carbon monoxide Hydrogenation (Section 6 1) Addition of H2 to a multiple bond... 

Often the aldehyde is hydrogenated to the corresponding alcohol. In general, addition of carbon monoxide to a substrate is referred to as carbonylation, but when the substrate is an olefin it is also known as hydroformylation. The eady work on the 0x0 synthesis was done with cobalt hydrocarbonyl complexes, but in 1976 a low pressure rhodium-cataly2ed process was commerciali2ed that gave greater selectivity to linear aldehydes and fewer coproducts. 

Aliphatic Aldehyde Syntheses. Friedel-Crafts-type aUphatic aldehyde syntheses are considerably rarer than those of aromatic aldehydes. However, the hydroformylation reaction of olefins (185) and the related oxo synthesis are effected by strong acid catalysts, eg, tetracarbonylhydrocobalt, HCo(CO)4 (see Oxo process). 

The mechanism of the cobalt-cataly2ed oxo reaction has been studied extensively. The formation of a new C—C bond by the hydroformylation reaction proceeds through an organometaUic intermediate formed from cobalt hydrocarbonyl which is regenerated in the aldehyde-forrning stage. The mechanism (5,6) for the formation of propionaldehyde [123-38-6] from ethylene is illustrated in Figure 1. 

The commercially important normal to branched aldehyde isomer ratio is critically dependent on CO partial pressure which, in propylene hydroformylation, determines the rate of interconversion of the -butyryl and isobutyryl cobalt tetracarbonyl intermediates (11). 

In contrast to triphenylphosphine-modified rhodium catalysis, a high aldehyde product isomer ratio via cobalt-catalyzed hydroformylation requires high CO partial pressures, eg, 9 MPa (1305 psi) and 110°C. Under such conditions alkyl isomerization is almost completely suppressed, and the 4.4 1 isomer ratio reflects the precursor mixture which contains principally the kinetically favored -butyryl to isobutyryl cobalt tetracarbonyl. At lower CO partial pressures, eg, 0.25 MPa (36.25 psi) and 110°C, the rate of isomerization of the -butyryl cobalt intermediate is competitive with butyryl reductive elimination to aldehyde. The product n/iso ratio of 1.6 1 obtained under these conditions reflects the equihbrium isomer ratio of the precursor butyryl cobalt tetracarbonyls (11). 

Ligand-Modified Rhodium Process. The triphenylphosphine-modified rhodium oxo process, termed the LP Oxo process, is the industry standard for the hydroformylation of ethylene and propylene as of this writing (ca 1995). It employs a triphenylphosphine [603-35-0] (TPP) (1) modified rhodium catalyst. The process operates at low (0.7—3 MPa (100—450 psi)) pressures and low (80—120°C) temperatures. Suitable sources of rhodium are the alkanoate, 2,4-pentanedionate, or nitrate. A low (60—80 kPa (8.7—11.6 psi)) CO partial pressure and high (10—12%) TPP concentration are critical to obtaining a high (eg, 10 1) normal-to-branched aldehyde ratio. The process, first commercialized in 1976 by Union Carbide Corporation in Ponce, Puerto Rico, has been ficensed worldwide by Union Carbide Corporation and Davy Process Technology. 

Other Rhodium Processes. Unmodified rhodium catalysts, eg, 1 14(00)22 [19584-30-6] have high hydroformylation activity but low selectivity to normal aldehydes. 

Pla.tinum. Platinum catalysts that utilize both phosphine and tin(Il) haUde ligands give good rates and selectivities, in contrast to platinum alone, which has extremely low or nonexistent hydroformylation activity. High specificity to the linear aldehyde from 1-pentene or 1-heptene is obtained using HPtSnClgCO(1 1P) (26), active at 100°C and 20 MPa (290 psi) producing 95% -hexanal from 1-pentene. 

Conceptually at least, these compounds can be obtained via initial enantioselective hydroformylation of the appropriate vinyl aromatic to branched chiral aldehyde and subsequent oxidation. 

Three significant, commercial processes for the production of amyl alcohols include separation from fusel oils, chlorination of C-5 alkanes with subsequent hydrolysis to produce a mixture of seven of the eight isomers (Pennsalt) (91), and a low pressure 0x0 process, or hydroformylation, of C-4 olefins followed by hydrogenation of the resultant C-5 aldehydes. 

The switch from the conventional cobalt complex catalyst to a new rhodium-based catalyst represents a technical advance for producing aldehydes by olefin hydroformylation with CO, ie, by the oxo process (qv) (82). A 200 t/yr CSTR pilot plant provided scale-up data for the first industrial,... 

Hydroformylation. Probably the best known catalytic carbonylation reaction is the hydroformylation, or 0x0 reaction, for producing aldehydes and alcohols from carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and olefins (eq. 9) (36). 

The hydroformylation reaction is carried out in the Hquid phase using a metal carbonyl catalyst such as HCo(CO)4 (36), HCo(CO)2[P( -C4H2)] (37), or HRh(CO)2[P(CgH3)2]2 (38,39). The phosphine-substituted rhodium compound is the catalyst of choice for new commercial plants that can operate at 353—383 K and 0.7—2 MPa (7—20 atm) (39). The differences among the catalysts are found in their intrinsic activity, their selectivity to straight-chain product, their abiHty to isomerize the olefin feedstock and hydrogenate the product aldehyde to alcohol, and the ease with which they are separated from the reaction medium (36). 

Garbonylation of Olefins. The carbonylation of olefins is a process of immense industrial importance. The process includes hydroformylation and hydrosdylation of an olefin. The hydroformylation reaction, or oxo process (qv), leads to the formation of aldehydes (qv) from olefins, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and a transition-metal carbonyl. The hydro sdylation reaction involves addition of a sdane to an olefin (126,127). One of the most important processes in the carbonylation of olefins uses Co2(CO)g or its derivatives with phosphoms ligands as a catalyst. Propionaldehyde (128) and butyraldehyde (qv) (129) are synthesized industrially according to the following equation ... 

The nickel or cobalt catalyst causes isomerization of the double bond resulting in a mixture of C-19 isomers. The palladium complex catalyst produces only the 9-(10)-carboxystearic acid. The advantage of the hydrocarboxylation over the hydroformylation reaction is it produces the carboxyUc acids in a single step and obviates the oxidation of the aldehydes produced by hydroformylation. 

Hydroformylation, or the 0X0 process, is the reaction of olefins with CO and H9 to make aldehydes, which may subsequently be converted to higher alcohols. The catalyst base is cobalt naph-thenate, which transforms to cobalt hydrocarbonyl in place. A rhodium complex that is more stable and mnctions at a lower temperature is also used. 

Concern for the conservation of energy and materials maintains high interest in catalytic and electrochemistry. Oxygen in the presence of metal catalysts is used in CUPROUS ION-CATALYZED OXIDATIVE CLEAVAGE OF AROMATIC o-DIAMINES BY OXYGEN (E,Z)-2,4-HEXADIENEDINITRILE and OXIDATION WITH BIS(SALI-CYLIDENE)ETHYLENEDIIMINOCOBALT(II) (SALCOMINE) 2,6-DI-important industrial method, is accomplished in a convenient lab-scale process in ALDEHYDES FROM OLEFINS CYCLOHEXANE-CARBOXALDEHYDE. An effective and useful electrochemical synthesis is illustrated in the procedure 3,3,6,6-TETRAMETHOXY-1,4-CYCLOHEX ADIENE. ... 

Hydroformylation of nitrile rubber is another chemical modification that can incorporate a reactive aldehyde group into the diene part and further open up new synthetic routes to the formation of novel nitrile elastomers with a saturated backbone containing carboxyl or hydroxyl functionalities. 

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