Hydroformylation of epoxides

The preceding stoichiometric reactions are clearly closely related to the catalytic hydroformylation of epoxides. Somewhat less clear is their relation... 

The carbonylation of epoxides and aziridines has been studied for several decades, and two forms of this process are now well established. Highly active catalysts for the ring expansion of epoxides and aziridines to p-lactones and 3-lactams are now known. In addition, conditions have been developed for the hydroformylation of epoxides to a-hydroxy aldehydes (including protected a-hydroxyacetals), and similar conditions have been developed for the tandem hydroformylation and hydrogenation of epoxides to generate... 

The first catalytic hydroformylation of epoxides was reported by Watanabe and coworkers in 1964 [5]. They treated propylene oxide with water gas at 80-100 C in the presence of Co2(CO)g and obtained fi-hydroxy butyraldehyde as the major product (Scheme 6.103). Apparently, HCofCO) is the active catalyst. The side products were acetone, but-2-enal, 2-methylpropenal, and 2-methylpropanal. 

Scheme 6.104 Mechanism of the cobalt-catalyzed hydroformylation of epoxides and the isomerization as a typical side reaction [6].

Some rhodium catalysts for hydroformylation of epoxides have been claimed by Union Carbide and Shell (Scheme 6.106) [17]. By the use of phosphites (e.g., Alkanox 240, BIPHEPHOS) or phosphine-modified rhodium catalysts, the selectivity was enhanced and the reaction temperature could be lowered. Noteworthy, occasionally a higher partial pressure of Hg in the syngas mixture with a total pressure of 90 bar was employed. 

Dimerization of the formed cx,P-hydroxy aldehyde may become a serious issue in the hydroformylation of epoxides with acidic metal catalysts. Orchin s group observed chiefly self-acetallzatlon products in the stoichiometric ring-opening reaction of cyclohexene oxide with CO and HCo(CO) (Scheme 6.108) [23]. 

Olefin isomerization can be catalyzed by a number of catalysts such as molybdenum hexacarbonyl [13939-06-5] Mo(CO)g. This compound has also been found to catalyze the photopolymerization of vinyl monomers, the cyclization of olefins, the epoxidation of alkenes and peroxo species, the conversion of isocyanates to carbodiimides, etc. Rhodium carbonylhydrotris(triphenylphosphine) [17185-29-4] RhH(CO)(P(CgH )2)3, is a multifunctional catalyst which accelerates the isomerization and hydroformylation of alkenes. 

The carbonyl complex [Ru(EDTAH)(CO)] has been reported to be a very good catalyst for reactions like hydroformylation of alkenes, carbonylation of ammonia and ammines as well as a very active catalyst for the water gas shift reaction. The nitrosyl [Ru(EDTA)(NO)] is an oxygen-transfer agent for the oxidation of hex-l-ene to hexan-2-one, and cyclohexane to the corresponding epoxide. 

As with the hydroformylation of olefins, aldehydes are expected by a reduction of acylcobalt carbonyls by cobalt hydrocarbonyl. They are formed in small amounts for a number of epoxides (145). 

In view of the many differences noted above between the hydroformylation of olefins and epoxides, it is not surprising to find that changes in structure result in a different order of reactivity in each case. Thus for epoxides the reactivity to cobalt hydrocarbonyl is cyclohexene oxide > propylene oxide, whereas with olefins the order is terminal olefins > internal olefins > cyclic olefins (145). 

As in the hydroformylation of olefins, isomerization (of excess epoxide) occurs, producing ketones (23). Since the catalysis by dicobalt octacarbonyl is promoted by methanol, which is known to cause disproportionation,... 

The isomerization of epoxides is discussed in Section II, D,l. The isomerizations of olefins and of alkyl- and acylcobalt carbonyls have been considered as side reactions to hydroformylation but studies dealing principally with these reactions will now receive attention. 

In addition, its proton magnetic resonance spectrum unambiguously supported the 5-ketose structure (69). Rearrangements of epoxides to ketones when dicobalt octacarbonyl is used as the catalyst at temperatures above 100 , or when cobalt hydrocarbonyl is used at lower temperatures, are well known. By applying the technique of double irradiation to a sample of (68), the main component was shown to possess structure (68). Presumably, the free aldehyde group of the hydroformylation product immediately cyclized with the free hydroxyl group on C-3 to give the tricyclic structure (68). A third component (68a) (isolated in less than 5 % yield) was undoubtedly formed by subsequent reduction of the dialdose derivative (68). 

Hydroformylation, see also Oxo reaction, of epoxides, 63 of glycals, 86 of olefins, 61... 

Neutral catalysts or catalyst precursors based on fluorinated ligand systems have been applied in compressed CO2 to a broad range of transformations such as Zn- and Cr-catalyzed copolymerization of epoxides and CO2 [53, 54], Mo-catalyzed olefin metathesis [9], Pd-catalyzed coupling reactions [43, 55, 56] and Pd-catalyzed hydrogen peroxide synthesis [57]. Rhodium complexes with perfluoroalkyl-substituted P ligands proved successful in hydroformylation of terminal alkenes [28, 42, 44, 58], enantioselective hydroformylation [18, 59, 60], hydrogenation [61], hydroboration [62], and polymerization of phenylacetylene... 

The coordination properties of phosphine oxides has been explored with late transition-metal (Ru, Co, Rh, Ir, Pd, Pt, Cu, and Au),301 303 305 306 310 316 early transition-metal,317 lanthanide,304,318,319 and actinide307,320 ions. One interesting complex is the palladium(II) complex (148) (Scheme 10) which is an extremely rare example of a ds metal center with a tetrahedral geometry.313 Phosphine oxides have found uses in the extraction of alkali, alkaline earth, and actinide metals in catalysis (hydroformylation of alkenes and epoxides, carbonylation of methanol324) and as a useful crystallization aid (Ph3PO).325... 

The hydroformylation of the orf/zo-prop-2-enylphenol 81 which contains no benzylic hydroxy group gives a mixture of the open-chain aldehyde 82 and the seven-membered cyclic hemiacetal 83 in a 82 83 ratio of approximately 40 60 (equation 34) °. The ben-zofuran epoxide 85 and its valence-isomeric quinone methide 86, both readily obtainable from benzofuran 84, rearrange thermally above —20°C to form the allylic alcohol 87 and the tautomeric phenol 88 (equation 35) . ... 

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