Phosphine rhodium hydroformylation, catalytic

No catalyst has an infinite lifetime. The accepted view of a catalytic cycle is that it proceeds via a series of reactive species, be they transient transition state type structures or relatively more stable intermediates. Reaction of such intermediates with either excess ligand or substrate can give rise to very stable complexes that are kinetically incompetent of sustaining catalysis. The textbook example of this is triphenylphosphine modified rhodium hydroformylation, where a plot of activity versus ligand metal ratio shows the classical volcano plot whereby activity reaches a peak at a certain ratio but then falls off rapidly in the presence of excess phosphine, see Figure... 

A remarkable example of the cooperation of different active sites in a polyfunctional catalyst is the one-step synthesis of 2-ethylhexanol, including a combined hydroformylation, aldol condensation, and hydrogenation process [17]. The catalyst in this case is a carbonyl-phosphine-rhodium complex immobilized on to polystyrene carrying amino groups close to the metal center. Another multistep catalytic process is the cyclooligomerization of butadiene combined with a subsequent hydroformylation or hydrogenation step [24, 25] using a styrene polymer on to which a rhodium-phosphine and a nickel-phosphine complex are anchored (cf Section 3.1.5). 

Fig. 24-B-2. Catalytic cycle for the hydroformylation of alkenes involving triphenyl-—phosphine-rhodium-complex specics -Note that the-eoniigtiratieiis of the-complexes arc...

Scavenging of free phosphines by electrophiles such as protons, other metals, conjugated enones, etc. presents a potential route to phosphine loss in catalytic systems. As yet, the participation of phosphonium intermediates has not been reported for rhodium hydroformylation catalysts, but they could be easily conceived, especially when dienes or enones are also present. 

Hughes, O.R. and Unruh, J.D. (1981) Hydroformylation catalyzed by rhodium complexes with diphosphine ligands. Journal of Molecular Catalysis, 12,71 Sanger, A.R. (1977) Hydroformylation of 1-hexene catalysed by complexes of rhodium(I) with di- or tritertiary phosphines. Journal of Molecular Catalysis, 3,221 Sanger, A.R. and Schallig, L.R. (1977) The structures and hydroformylation catalytic activities of polyphosphine complexes of rhodium(l), and related complexes immobilised on polymer supports. Journal of Molecular Catalysis, 3, 101 Pittman, C.U. and Hirao, A. (1978) Hydroformylation catalyzed by cis-chelated rhodium complexes - extension to polymer-anchored cis-chelated rhodium catalysts. The Journal of Organic Chemistry, 43, 640. 

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. 

After a hydroformylation run, the reaction solution was subjected to ultrafiltration using an asymmetric polyethersulfone membrane (MWCO 50 kDa) supplied by Sartorius. A retention of 99.8% was found. When the catalyst solution was recycled, virtually the same catalytic activity was observed again (165 TO h 1). Repetitive recycling experiments resulted in 2-7% loss of rhodium, which was subscribed to partial oxidation of the phosphine ligand. 

Abstract This chapter presents the latest achievements reported in the asymmetric hydroformylation of olefins. It focuses on rhodium systems containing diphosphites and phosphine-phosphite ligands, because of their significance in the subject. Particular attention is paid to the mechanistic aspects and the characterization of intermediates in the hydroformylation of vinyl arenes because these are the most important breakthroughs in the area. The chapter also presents the application of this catalytic reaction to vinyl acetate, dihydrofurans and unsaturated nitriles because of its industrial relevance. 

A series of water-soluble polyether-substituted triphenyl phosphines (PETPPs) la-c has been successfully employed by Jin et al. [11] in the thermoregulated hydroformylation of 1-dodecene in the biphasic water/toluene system. The catalysts exhibit very good catalytic properties with conversions up to 93% and about 85% selectivity for aldehyde formation. The catalyst derived from rhodium(III) chloride and ligand Ic could be reused in four consecutive cycles without significant loss of activity or chemoselectivity. The n-selectivity of the product aldehydes was not determined. 

The earliest study is from 1995, when the rhodium complex of a menthyl-substituted phosphine (22) was used for the hydroformylation of styrene [99]. Although the catalytic activity was quite good (TOP up to 245 h ), regioselectivity was low (b/1 = 1.0 - 2.5) and no optical induction was observed in 2-phenylpropanal. 

Rhodium complexes of the phosphine-functionalized carbosilane dendrimers are active for the hydroformylation of alkenes. The influence of the flexibility of the dendritic backbone on the catalytic performance was characterized by comparing dendritic ligands 84a-84c (conditions toluene, 80°C, 20 bar CO/H2) 49). 

The investigation of phosphine complexes of rhodium(I) as catalysts (or catalyst precursors) for the hydroformylation reaction continues both to better elucidate the reaction mechanism and to improve catalyst activity. The presence of dioxygen often decreases the catalytic activity (139), but can also, surprisingly, reactivate hydroformylation catalysts... 

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