Phosphine hydroformylation

Figure 11 Proposed cobalt-phosphine hydroformylation and aldehyde hydrogenation cycles showing the dominant linear product selectivity.

The addition of 30% water by volume to the acetone solvent causes a dramatic improvement in hydroformylatimi as shown in Table 2 [44]. The most dramatic improvement, however, is in the stability of the catalyst. A common test for the stability of monometallic Rh-phosphine hydroformylation catalysts is to let them sit under H-JCO at operating conditimis without alkene. Most monometallic Rh-phosphine catalysts will deactivate within 24 h, usually quite a bit more quickly depending on the phosphine and amount of excess present. Our bimetallic catalyst in pure acetone deactivates completely via the fragmentation reactions described earlier after 80 min at the conditions shown in Table 2. In marked contrast, using 30% water/acetone as the solvent, the bimetallic catalyst only loses 10% of its hydroformylation activity after 120 min. 

Typical examples of different behavior in relation to the metal are trivalent phosphorus ligands. Thus, trials to modify cobalt complexes with PPhg proved rather problematic, due to the shift of the equilibrium to the left-hand side, especially under increased CO pressure (Scheme 1.7). As a consequence, the hydroformylation is catalyzed by the unmodified Co complex. Diphosphines of the type Ph2PZPPh2 (Z = (CH2)2, (CH2)4, CH=CH) cause a dramatic decrease in reactivity [19]. Also, phosphites do not form active hydroformylation catalysts with cobalt. It seems that only basic trialkyl phosphines are suitable for the generation of stable Co phosphine hydroformylation catalysts. 

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. 

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. 

Homogeneous rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation (135,136) of propene to -butyraldehyde (qv) was commercialized in 1976. -Butyraldehyde is a key intermediate in the synthesis of 2-ethyIhexanol, an important plasticizer alcohol. Hydroformylation is carried out at <2 MPa (<290 psi) at 100°C. A large excess of triphenyl phosphine contributes to catalyst life and high selectivity for -butyraldehyde (>10 1) yielding few side products (137). Normally, product separation from the catalyst [Rh(P(C2H2)3)3(CO)H] [17185-29-4] is achieved by distillation. 

Conventional triorganophosphite ligands, such as triphenylphosphite, form highly active hydroformylation catalysts (95—99) however, they suffer from poor durabiUty because of decomposition. Diorganophosphite-modified rhodium catalysts (94,100,101), have overcome this stabiUty deficiency and provide a low pressure, rhodium catalyzed process for the hydroformylation of low reactivity olefins, thus making lower cost amyl alcohols from butenes readily accessible. The new diorganophosphite-modified rhodium catalysts increase hydroformylation rates by more than 100 times and provide selectivities not available with standard phosphine catalysts. For example, hydroformylation of 2-butene with l,l -biphenyl-2,2 -diyl... 

Propane, 1-propanol, and heavy ends (the last are made by aldol condensation) are minor by-products of the hydroformylation step. A number of transition-metal carbonyls (qv), eg, Co, Fe, Ni, Rh, and Ir, have been used to cataly2e the oxo reaction, but cobalt and rhodium are the only economically practical choices. In the United States, Texas Eastman, Union Carbide, and Hoechst Celanese make 1-propanol by oxo technology (11). Texas Eastman, which had used conventional cobalt oxo technology with an HCo(CO)4 catalyst, switched to a phosphine-modified Rh catalyst ia 1989 (11) (see Oxo process). In Europe, 1-propanol is made by Hoechst AG and BASE AG (12). 

Primary Amyl Alcohols. Primary amyl alcohols (qv) are manufactured by hydroformylation of mixed butenes, followed by dehydrogenation (114). Both 1-butene and 2-butene yield the same product though in slightly different ratios depending on the catalyst and conditions. Some catalyst and conditions produce the alcohols in a single step. By modifying the catalyst, typically a cobalt carbonyl, with phosphoms derivatives, such as tri( -butyl)phosphine, the linear alcohol can be the principal product from 1-butene. 

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). 

A new homogeneous process for hydroformylation of olefins using a water-soluble catalyst has been developed (40). The catalyst is based on a rhodium complex and utilizes a water-soluble phosphine such as tri(M-sulfophenyl)phosphine. The use of an aqueous phase simplifies the separation of the catalyst and products (see Oxo process). 

In 1996, consumption in the western world was 14.2 tonnes of rhodium and 3.8 tonnes of iridium. Unquestionably the main uses of rhodium (over 90%) are now catalytic, e.g. for the control of exhaust emissions in the car (automobile) industry and, in the form of phosphine complexes, in hydrogenation and hydroformylation reactions where it is frequently more efficient than the more commonly used cobalt catalysts. Iridium is used in the coating of anodes in chloralkali plant and as a catalyst in the production of acetic acid. It also finds small-scale applications in specialist hard alloys. 

Sodium pyrazolate and 3,5-dimethylpyrazolate, [( " -cod)Rh(/A-Cl)]2, carbon monoxide, 3-(diphenylphosphino)benzoic acid, or (2-formylphenyl)diphenyl-phosphine give rise to complexes 120 (R = H, Me) and 121 (R = H, Me) [94JOM(469)213]. However, 2-(diphenylphosphino)benzoic acid (the carboxyl group in the ortho position) leads to formation of the mononuclear complexes 122. The products appear to be catalysts for hydroformylation reactions [93MI2]. 

Table 5.2-1 Comparison of different phosphine ligands in the Rh-catalyzed hydroformylation of 1-octene in [BMIM][PFd.

Cationic phosphine ligands containing guanidiniumphenyl moieties were originally developed in order to make use of their pronounced solubility in water [72, 73]. They were shown to form active catalytic systems in Pd-mediated C-C coupling reactions between aryl iodides and alkynes (Castro-Stephens-Sonogashira reaction) [72, 74] and Rh-catalyzed hydroformylation of olefins in aqueous two-phase systems [75]. 

Olivier-Bourbigou s group, for example, has recently shown that phosphite ligands can be used in Rh-catalyzed hydroformylation in ionic liquids as well as the well loiown phosphine systems [81]. Since phosphite ligands are usually unstable in aqueous media, this adds (apart from the much better solubility of higher olefins in... 

When water-miscible ionic liquids are used as solvents, and when the products are partly or totally soluble in these ionic liquids, the addition of polar solvents, such as water, in a separation step after the reaction can make the ionic liquid more hydrophilic and facilitate the separation of the products from the ionic liquid/water mixture (Table 5.3-2, case e). This concept has been developed by Union Carbide for the hydroformylation of higher alkenes catalyzed by Rh-sulfonated phosphine ligand in the N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP)/water system. Thanks to the presence of NMP, the reaction is performed in one homogeneous phase. After the reaction. 

Other routes have been tried starting from formaldehyde or paraformaldehyde. One process reacts formaldehyde with carhon monoxide and H2 (hydroformylation) at approximately 4,000 psi and 110°C using a rhodium triphenyl phosphine catalyst with the intermediate formation of glycolaldehyde. Glycolaldehyde is then reduced to ethylene glycol ... 

Phosphine, amino-rhodium complexes catalysts, hydroformylation, 6,261 Phosphine, 3-aminopropyldimethyl-photographic fixer, 6,100 Phosphine, bis(2-carboxyethyl)methyl-photography... 

The industrially used homogeneous catalysts for the hydroformylation of higher molecular olefins into aldehydes, which are hydrogenated to the corresponding surfactant alcohols, are cobalt carbonyl [47] or cobalt carbonylItert-phosphine complexes [48]. 

If cobalt carbonylpyridine catalyst systems are used, the formation of unbranched carboxylic acids is strongly favored not only by reaction of a-olefins but also by reaction of olefins with internal double bonds ( contrathermo-dynamic double-bond isomerization) [59]. The cobalt carbonylpyridine catalyst of the hydrocarboxylation reaction resembles the cobalt carbonyl-terf-phos-phine catalysts of the hydroformylation reaction. The reactivity of the cobalt-pyridine system in the hydrocarboxylation reaction is remarkable higher than the cobalt-phosphine system in the hydroformylation reaction, especially in the case of olefins with internal double bonds. This reaction had not found an industrial application until now. 

Figure 24 Phosphine-based dendrimers prepared from T8[CH = CH2]8 and used in the hydroformylation reaction.

The catalytic hydroformylation of alkenes has been extensively studied. The selective formation of linear versus branched aldehydes is of capital relevance, and this selectivity is influenced by many factors such as the configuration of the ligands in the metallic catalysts, i.e., its bite angle, flexibility, and electronic properties [152,153]. A series of phosphinous amide ligands have been developed for influencing the direction of approach of the substrate to the active catalyst and, therefore, on the selectivity of the reaction. The use of Rh(I) catalysts bearing the ligands in Scheme 34, that is the phosphinous amides 37 (R ... 

---