Polymer-supported phase transfer

Ford, W. T. and Tomoi, M. Polymer-Supported Phase Transfer Catalyst Reaction Mechanisms. Vol. 55, pp. 49—104. 

Cl /Cl 0 In the presence of polymer-supported phase transfer catalyst and redox mediator Cl /ClO, the oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde or benzoic acid was achieved [39-41]. 

Reactivity and Application of Soluble and Polymer-Supported Phase-Transfer Catalysts... 

At one extreme diffusivity may be so low that chemical reaction takes place only at suface active sites. In that case p is equal to the fraction of active sites on the surface of the catalyst. Such a polymer-supported phase transfer catalyst would have extremely low activity. At the other extreme when diffusion is much faster than chemical reaction p = 1. In that case the observed reaction rate equals the intrinsic reaction rate. Between the extremes a combination of intraparticle diffusion rates and intrinsic rates controls the observed reaction rates as shown in Fig. 2, which profiles the reactant concentration as a function of distance from the center of a spherical catalyst particle located at the right axis, When both diffusion and intrinsic reactivity control overall reaction rates, there is a gradient of reactant concentration from CAS at the surface, to a lower concentration at the center of the particle. The reactant is consumed as it diffuses into the particle. With diffusional limitations the active sites nearest the surface have the highest turnover numbers. The overall process of simultaneous diffusion and chemical reaction in a spherical particle has been described mathematically for the cases of ion exchange catalysis,63 65) and catalysis by enzymes immobilized in gels 66-67). Many experimental parameters influence the balance between intraparticle diffusional and intrinsic reactivity control of reaction rates with polymer-supported phase transfer catalysts, as shown in Fig. 1. 

The structure of the active site of polymer-supported phase transfer catalysts has been studied more than any other experimental parameter. In this section we describe those features most vital for catalytic activity without citing specific examples. Sections 3 and 4 provide the details. 

The affinity of the polymer-bound catalyst for water and for organic solvent also depends upon the structure of the polymer backbone. Polystyrene is nonpolar and attracts good organic solvents, but without ionic, polyether, or other polar sites, it is completely inactive for catalysis of nucleophilic reactions. The polar sites are necessary to attract reactive anions. If the polymer is hydrophilic, as a dextran, its surface must be made less polar by functionalization with lipophilic groups to permit catalytic activity for most nucleophilic displacement reactions. The % RS and the chemical nature of the polymer backbone affect the hydrophilic/lipophilic balance. The polymer must be able to attract both the reactive anion and the organic substrate into its matrix to catalyze reactions between the two mutually insoluble species. Most polymer-supported phase transfer catalysts are used under conditions where both intrinsic reactivity and intraparticle diffusion affect the observed rates of reaction. The structural variables in the catalyst which control the hydrophilic/lipophilic balance affect both activity and diffusion, and it is often not possible to distinguish clearly between these rate limiting phenomena by variation of active site structure, polymer backbone structure, or % RS. 

Parameters which affect the intrinsic activity of polymer-supported phase transfer catalysts are listed in Fig. 1. 

The dependence of kobsd on stirring speed for Br-I exchange reactions with polymer-supported crown ethers 34 and 35 has been determined under the same conditions as with polymer-supported phosphonium salts 1 and 4149). Reaction conditions were 90 °C, 0.02 molar equiv of 100-200 mesh catalyst, 16-17% RS, 2% CL, 20 mmol of 1-bromooctane, 200 mmol of KI, 20 ml of toluene, and 30 ml of water. Reaction rates with 34 and 35 increased with increased stirring speed up to 400 rpm, and were constant above that value. This result resembles that with polymer-supported onium ion catalysts and indicates that mass transfer as a limiting factor can be removed in experiments carried out at stirring speeds of 500-600 rpm, whatever kind of polymer-supported phase transfer catalyst is used. 

The activity of polymer-supported crown ethers depends on solvent. As shown in Fig. 11, rates for Br-I exchange reactions with catalysts 34 and 41 increased with a change in solvent from toluene to chlorobenzene. Since the reaction with catalyst 34 is limited substantially by intrinsic reactivity (Fig. 10), the rate increase must be due to an increase in intrinsic reactivity. The reaction with catalyst 41 is limited by both intrinsic reactivity and intraparticle diffusion (Fig. 10), and the rate increase from toluene to chlorobenzene corresponds with increases in both parameters. Solvent effects on rates with polymer-supported phase transfer catalysts differ from those with soluble phase transfer catalysts60. With the soluble catalysts rates increase (for a limited number of reactions) with decreased polarity of solvent60), while with the polymeric catalysts rates increase with increased polarity of solvent74). Solvents swell polymer-supported catalysts and influence the microenvironment of active sites as well as intraparticle diffusion. The microenvironment, especially hydration... 

At almost the same time as other polymer-supported phase transfer catalysts were first reported, polymer-supported solvents and cosolvents were found to be effective catalysts for phase transfer reactions 155-156>. Dipolar aprotic solvents such as hexa-methylphosphoramide (HMPA)157, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)158), and tertiary amides159,1601 are well known to coordinate strongly with alkali and alkaline earth metal cations, and hence promote nucleophilic displacement reactions of the anions161). Catalysts 44 155-162>163> and 45163),... 

The utility of polymer-supported phase transfer catalysts depends upon their ease of synthesis and their chemical and physical stability. The advantages of the heterogeneous catalysts are the ease of separation of the catalyst from reaction mixtures and reuse. Although there may occasionally be cases of higher activity of heterogeneous... 

Polystyrene has been used most often as the support for phase transfer catalysts mainly because of the availability of Merrifield resins and quaternary ammonium ion exchange resins. Although other polymers have attrative features, most future applications of polymer-supported phase transfer catalysts will use polystyrene for several reasons It is readily available, inexpensive, easy to functionalize, chemically inert in all but strongly acidic media, and physically stable enough for most uses. Silica gel and alumina offer most of these same advantages. We expect that large scale applications of triphase catalysis will use polystyrene, silica gel, or alumina. 

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