Metallocomplexes immobilized catalysts

Polymeric membranes also show potential for application in the area of chiral catalysis. Here metallocomplexes find use as homogeneous catalysts, since they show high activity and enantioselectivity. They are expensive, however, and their presence in the final product is undesirable they must be, therefore, separated after the reaction ends. Attempts have been made to immobilize these catalysts on various supports. Immobilization is a laborious process, however, and often the catalyst activity decreases upon immobilization. An alternative would be a hybrid process, which combines the homogeneous catalytic reactor with a nanofiltration membrane system. Smet et al. [2.98] have presented an example of such an application. They studied the hydrogenation of dimethyl itaconate with Ru-BINAP as a homogeneous chiral catalyst. The nanofiltration membrane helps separate the reaction products from the catalyst. Two different configurations can be utilized, one in which the membrane is inserted in the reactor itself, and another in which the membrane is extraneous to the reactor. Ru-BINAP is known to be an excellent hydrogenation catalyst... 

A.D. Pomogailo, Polymeric Immobilized Metallocomplex Catalysts, Nauka, Moscow, 1988. 

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