Water-soluble phosphine ligands

Considerable work has been conducted on a water-soluble catalyst using sulfonated phosphine-modified rhodium. Details of this chemistry will be described in Chapter 5. The general concept (Figure 2.3) is to make the catalyst water soluble, then after product formation, decant the product. In order for the water-soluble catalyst to be effective, the alkene must dissolve in the aqueous layer. This has been demonstrated on a commercial basis using propene. The low solubility of higher alkenes in the aqueous catalyst layer has proven problematic. The desirable characteristic of the ligand, water solubility, is needed in the separation step but is a disadvantage in the reaction step. 

The RCH/RP process converts propylene to n- and Lo-butyraldehydes (or butenes to valeraldehydes) in the presence [HRh(CO)(TPPTS)] (with TPPTS = tris[sodium-m-sulfonatophcnvl phosphine as water soluble ligand) according to Equation 5.1. 

The lessons learned from these complexes were eventually applied to the synthesis of well-defined ruthenium alkylidenes 8 and 9. Although they were insoluble in water, these alkylidenes could be used to initiate the living ROMP of functionalized norbornenes and 7-oxanorbomenes in aqueous emulsions. Substitution of the phosphine ligands in 9 for bulky, electron-rich, water-soluble phosphines produced water-soluble alkylidenes 10 and 11, which served as excellent initiators for the ROMP of water-soluble monomers in aqueous solution. These new ruthenium alkylidene complexes are powerful tools in the synthesis of highly functionalized polymers and organic molecules in both organic and aqueous environments. 

Commercially, the aqueous-phase concept was firstly applied in Ruhrchemie/Rhone-Poulenc s (RCH/RP) process (for the fundamentals, see Section 2.4.1.1). In several units the RCH/RP process has been converting propene to n-butyraldehyde and isobutyraldehyde (or butenes to valeraldehydes) since 1984 in the presence of HRh(CO)(TPPTS)3 (with TPPTS = m-trisulfonated triphenylphosphine or tris-(sodium-fn-sulfonatophenyl)phosphine as water-soluble ligand) according to Eq. (1). The output of the units mentioned is approximately890 000 tpy, which corresponds to roughly 13% of the world s total production. 

The preparation of (mera-sulfonatophenyl)diphenylphosphine, sodium salt in 1958 initiated the era of water-soluble transition metal complexes with tertiary phosphines as ligands. Water-soluble analogs of several prominent PPhj-containing complexes were synthesized with this ligand (commonly abbreviated as TPPMS) of which the preparations of RhCl(TPPMS)3, [RuCl2(TPPMS)2]2 and rra s-IrCl(CO)(TPPMS)2, are given in this section. ... 

Fell, B. Papadogianakis, G. (1994) Rhodium-catalyzed 2-phase hydroformylation of hex-1-ene with sulfonated tris(4-fluorophenyl)phosphine as water-soluble complex ligands, J. Prakt. Chem. - Chem. Ztg., 336, 591-5. 

Polyphenylene polymers can be prepared by this coupling. For example, the preparation of poly(/i-quaterphenylene-2,2 -dicarboxylic acid) (643) was carried out using aqueous NaHCO and a water-soluble phosphine ligand (DPMSPP)[5I I]. Branched polyphenylene was also prepared[5l2). 

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]. 

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. 

Although rhodium recovery is efficient it is difficult to separate it from heavies that are formed in small amounts. Over time these heavies tend to result in some catalyst deactivation. One solution to this problem has been developed by Ruhrchemie/Rhone-Poulenc. In this process sulfonated triphenyl phosphine is used as the ligand, which imparts water solubility to the catalyst. The reaction is two-phase, a lower aqueous phase containing the catalyst and an upper organic phase. Fortunately the catalyst appears to sit at the interface enabling reaction to proceed efficiently. At the end of... 

Figure 3.55. Examples of water-.soluble phosphine ligands.

Miscellaneous Reactions of Phosphines.- The role of chiral phosphines as ligands in the catalysis of reactions leading to the formation of chiral products has been reviewed.1111 A procedure for the determination of the enantiomeric excess in chiral phosphines has been developed, based on 13C n.m.r. studies of the diastereoisomeric complexes formed by phosphines with the chiral pinenyl nickel bromide complex. 111 Studies of the sulphonation of triphenylphosphine and of chiral arylphosphines have been reported in attempts to prepare water soluble ligands which aid... 

Water-soluble phosphine ligands containing m-guanidinium moieties were synthesized and applied to aqueous Heck coupling reactions.149 High temperature appears beneficial for Heck-type coupling of simple alkenes in water.150... 

More recently, Atwood et al. developed a platinum complex of a water-soluble, bidentate phosphine ligand, cA-(TPPTS)2PtCl2 [TPPTS = tris(sodium m -benzenesuI onatc)phosphi nc, as an effective hydration... 

Lautens et al. explored a water-soluble pyridyl phosphine moiety-based ligand for such additions (Scheme 4.7).90 [Rh(COD)Cl]2... 

Wender et al. reported a [5+2] cycloaddition in water by using a water-soluble rhodium catalyst having a bidentate phosphine ligand to give a 7-membered ring product (Eq. 4.69). This water-soluble catalyst was reused eight times without any significant loss in catalytic activity.133... 

Sterically demanding, water-soluble alkylphosphines 6.10 and 6.11 as ligands have been found to have a high activity for the Suzuki coupling of aryl bromides in aqueous solvents (Eq. 6.35).115 Turnover numbers up to 734,000 mmol/mmol Pd have been achieved under such conditions. Glucosamine-based phosphines were found to be efficient ligands for Suzuki cross-coupling reactions in water.116... 

Collum129 reported that while the Stille coupling can proceed without using a phosphine ligand, the addition of a water-soluble ligand improved the yield of the reaction. Water-soluble aryl and vinyl halides were coupled with alkyl-, aryl-, and vinyltrichlorostannane derivatives in this way (Eq. 6.39). 

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