Immobilization of organometallic catalysts

Immobilization of Organometallic Catalysts Using Supercritical Fluids... 

Immobilization of Organometallic Catalysts Using Supercritical Fluids (W. Leitner, A.M. Scurto) 665... 

Figure 2.14. Immobilization of organometallic catalysts. (C.Li, Chiral synthesis on catalysts immobilized in microporous and mesoporous materials, Catalysis Reviews, 46 (2004), 419-492).

Figure 6.14.9 Schematic representation of three different techniques for applying SCCO2 for the immobilization of organometallic catalysts. Adapted from Gordon and Leitner (2006).

One essential aspect of the pubhcly funded project Smart Solvents/Smart Ligands was the development of new and useable techniques for the isolation and reuse of organometallic catalysts. The work of Leitner and Dinjus shows various possibilities for the immobilization of modified and conventional catalytic systems. 

The most used polymer support (resin) both for organic synthesis and for immobilization of catalysts is cross-linked polystyrene. Numerous types of polystyrene resin are commercially available and can be obtained in different sizes, loading capacities (level of functionalization), and degrees of cross-linking. This makes immobilization of organometallic complexes a reasonably simple operation since the metal complex bearing a suitably functionalized ligand can be attached directly to a commercially available polymer backbone or, if necessary, built up on the support. 

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