Hydroformylations propylene

Ans Ethylene a-alkenes (oligomerization), acetaldehyde (oxidation) propylene n-butyraldehyde (hydroformylation), propylene oxide (epoxidation) CO acetic acid, acetic anhydride (carbonylation). 

Rhodium Ca.ta.lysts. Rhodium carbonyl catalysts for olefin hydroformylation are more active than cobalt carbonyls and can be appHed at lower temperatures and pressures (14). Rhodium hydrocarbonyl [75506-18-2] HRh(CO)4, results in lower -butyraldehyde [123-72-8] to isobutyraldehyde [78-84-2] ratios from propylene [115-07-17, C H, than does cobalt hydrocarbonyl, ie, 50/50 vs 80/20. Ligand-modified rhodium catalysts, HRh(CO)2L2 or HRh(CO)L2, afford /iso-ratios as high as 92/8 the ligand is generally a tertiary phosphine. The rhodium catalyst process was developed joindy by Union Carbide Chemicals, Johnson-Matthey, and Davy Powergas and has been Hcensed to several companies. It is particulady suited to propylene conversion to -butyraldehyde for 2-ethylhexanol production in that by-product isobutyraldehyde is minimized. 

Hydroformylation of an olefin usiag synthesis gas, the 0x0 process (qv), was first commercialized ia Germany ia 1938 to produce propionaldehyde from ethylene and butyraldehydes from propylene (12). 

Isobutyraldehyde is commonly available as a by-product of propylene/Oxo hydroformylation. Methyl isoamyl ketone is used as a solvent for ceUulose esters, acryHcs, and vinyl polymers. It is available in the United States from Eastman (Kingsport, Tennessee) (47) and Union Carbide (South Charleston, West Virginia) and was priced at 1.42/kg in October 1994. 

Propylene-Based Routes. The strong acid-catalyzed carbonylation of propylene [115-07-1] to isobutyric acid (Koch reaction) followed by oxidative dehydration to methacrylic acid has been extensively studied since the 1960s. The principal side reaction in the Koch reaction is the formation of oligomers of propylene. Increasing yields of methacrylic acid in the oxydehydration step is the current focus of research. Isobutyric acid may also be obtained via the oxidation of isobutyraldehyde, which is available from the hydroformylation of propylene. The -butyraldehyde isomer that is formed in the hydroformylation must be separated. 

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). 

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. 

The spectmm of oxo products ia Japan is far less diverse. Nearly 75% of Japan s total oxo capacity of 733,000 t is dedicated to the hydroformylation of propylene. 2-EH derived from -butyraldehyde is by far the dominant product. Other products iaclude linear alcohols and higher branched alcohols. Additionally, Japan is the world s principal source of branched heptyl alcohol. The three ptincipal Japanese oxo producers having slightly more than 70% of Japan s total oxo capacity are Mitsubishi Kasei, Kyowa Yuka, and Japan Oxocol. 

Propanol has been manufactured by hydroformylation of ethylene (qv) (see Oxo process) followed by hydrogenation of propionaldehyde or propanal and as a by-product of vapor-phase oxidation of propane (see Hydrocarbon oxidation). Celanese operated the only commercial vapor-phase oxidation faciUty at Bishop, Texas. Since this faciUty was shut down ia 1973 (5,6), hydroformylation or 0x0 technology has been the principal process for commercial manufacture of 1-propanol ia the United States and Europe. Sasol ia South Africa makes 1-propanol by Fischer-Tropsch chemistry (7). Some attempts have been made to hydrate propylene ia an anti-Markovnikoff fashion to produce 1-propanol (8—10). However, these attempts have not been commercially successful. 

Butyra.Idehydes. Normal and isobutyraldehydes are produced from propylene by the oxo or hydroformylation process (see Oxo process). 

Commercial isobutyl alcohol is made almost exclusively from the hydrogenation of isobutyraldehyde obtained by the hydroformylation of propylene. However, this alcohol is also commonly obtained as a coproduct in the Eischer Tropsch synthesis of methanol (16,17). 

Fig. 7. Process flow diagram for the two-phase hydroformylation of propylene where 1 = reactor 2 = separator 3 = phase separator ...

Some types of reactions involving gases that have been studied in IFs are hydrogenations [16, 25-37 ], oxidations [38, 39], and hydroformylations [25, 40 5]. In addition, some dimerizations and allcylations may involve the dissolution of condensable gases (e.g., ethylene, propylene, isobutene) in the IF solvent [46-50]. 

Other olefins applied in the hydroformylation process with subsequent hydrogenation are propylene trimer and tetramer for the production of decyl and tridecyl alcohols, respectively, and C7 olefins (from copolymers of C3 and C4 olefins) for isodecyl alcohol production. 

Catalysts used in some commerical 0x0 processes and approximate conditions for propylene hydroformylation... 

The catalytic hydroformylation of olefins is discussed in Chapter 5. The reaction of propylene with CO and H2 produces n-butyraldehyde as the main product. Isobutyraldehyde is a by-product °... 

The carbonyl [CpFe(CO)2]2 has been successfully employed as a catalyst for hydroformylation of propylene (229) and for the reaction in Eq. (55) (221). Insertion of CO into Fe—C bonds is thought to occur therein. 

An example of a large scale application of the aqueous biphasic concept is the Ruhrchemie/Rhone-Poulenc process for the hydroformylation of propylene to n-butanal (Eqn. (15)), which employs a water-soluble rhodium(I) complex of trisulphonated triphenylphosphine (tppts) as the catalyst (Cornils and Wiebus, 1996). 

The adoption of a second liquid phase has also proved useful in the hydroformylation reaction of propylene for which Ruhrchemie and Rhone-Poulenc have used Rh based water... 

The first stage of the process is a hydroformylation (oxo) reaction from which the main product is n-butyraldehyde. The feeds to this reactor are synthesis gas (CO/H2 mixture) and propylene in the molar ratio 2 1, and the recycled products of isobutyraldehyde cracking. The reactor operates at 130°C and 350 bar, using cobalt carbonyl as catalyst in solution. The main reaction products are n- and isobutyraldehyde in the ratio of 4 1, the former being the required product for subsequent conversion to 2-ethylhexanol. In addition, 3 per cent of the propylene feed is converted to propane whilst some does not react. 

A recent example where Co2(CO)8 serves as a precatalyst is in the preparation of linear and branched aldehydes via propylene hydroformylation in supercritical C02 (93-186 bar 66-108 °C). Cyclohexane carbaldehyde is produced from cyclohexene using Co2(CO)8 and an acid RCOOH, or else is successful with another established Co catalyst, Co(OOCR)2, assumed to form in situ in the former case. Oligomerization of aldehydes such as n-butanal is achieved with Co2(CO)6L2 as catalyst (L = CO, PR3).1364... 

One of the most selective hydroformylation catalysts was obtained when cobalt acetate was irradiated in the presence of an excess of a phosphine, with synthesis gas at 80 atm, in methanol as the solvent. Propylene was hydroformylated with this catalyst to give butyraldehyde with an n/i ratio of more than 99/1 /10/. In the absence of phosphine, the cobalt acetate forms a more active catalyst which is, however, less selective for straight chain products /23/. 

The principal product of the hydroformylation which is most desired in industrial applications is a linear aldehyde. The unmodified, cobalt-catalyzed processes produce a mixture of linear and branched aldehydes, the latter being mostly an a-methyl isomer. For the largest single application—propylene to butyraldehydes—the product composition has an isomer ratio (ratio of percent linear to percent branched) of (2.5 t.0)/l. The isobutyraldehyde cannot be used to make 2-ethylhexanol, and iso-... 

Many research groups have attributed the isomerization to a series of additions and eliminations of a cobalt carbonyl hydride. However, it has been shown that aldehydes may be found with formyl groups attached to a carbon atom other than the two of the double bond even under non-isomerizing conditions. Piacenti and co-workers (44, 45) studied the hydroformylation of [l-14C]propylene and of a>-deuterated a-olefins. Even for a-olefins with chain lengths up to C6, the formyl group was attached to all possible carbon atoms in the product mixture. However, in the deuterated experiments, deuterium was present only on carbons 2, 3, and a) of the resulting aldehydes. These results were explained by pro-... 

Because of the extreme industrial importance of simple hydrocarbons such as propylene in hydroformylation, the reaction of a-olefins has been studied in much detail. As noted before, the formyl group can be attached to either of the carbon atoms which constitute the original double bond. For olefins of greater than C3 chain length, the formyl group may, under certain conditions, also be attached to a carbon atom which was originally saturated. But for propylene only two isomers are possible, as shown in Eq. (25). 

Effect of Catalyst Concentration on Product Composition in the Hydroformylation of Propylene Conducted in the Presence of Ethyl Orthoformate (32)... 

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