Rhodium-acyl intermediates, selective

Similarly, highly selective hydrogen reductions of rhodium-acyl intermediates are known, such as in hydroformylation reactions. Rhodium phosphine complexes are highly selective with little further reduction of products to alcohols (19). 

However, considerable amounts of 2,3-dihydrofuran 50 and tetrahydro-furan-2-carbaldehyde 53 were present because of an isomerization process. The isomerization takes place simultaneously with the hydroformylation reaction. When the 2,5-dihydrofuran 46 reacts with the rhodium hydride complex, the 3-alkyl intermediate 48 is formed. This can evolve to the 2,3-dihydrofuran 50 via /3-hydride elimination reaction. This new substrate can also give both 2- and 3-alkyl intermediates 52 and 48, respectively. Although the formation of the 3-alkyl intermediate 48 is thermodynamically favored, the acylation occurs faster in the 2-alkyl intermediates 52. Regio-selectivity is therefore dominated by the rate of formation of the acyl complexes. The modification of the phosphorus ligand and the conditions of the reaction make it possible to control the regioselectivity and prepare the 2- or 3-substituted aldehyde as the major product [78]. As far as we know, only two... 

The mechanism of olefin hydroformylation catalyzed by rhodium complexes has been extensively studied. For TPP as a ligand, it corresponds to Wilkinson s dissociative mechanism, which involves the four-coordinated active intermediate HRh(CO)L2 (L = TPP, Figure 14.2). Coordination of olefin with HRh(CO)L2 yields the 7t-complex 2. The insertion of coordinated olefin to the Rh-H bond leads to the formation of alkyl complexes 3a or 3b, respectively, via the anti-Markovnikov or the Markovnikov path. Subsequently, the alkyl migration to the CO affords the acyl complexes 4a or 4b, which leads to linear or branched aldehyde and HRh(CO)L2 via hydrogenolysis, eventually. The water-soluble catalyst HRh(CO)(TPPTS)3 is considered to react according to the dissociative mechanism [10]. However, the reaction occurs at the liquid phase or the gaseous-Hquid interface [11], and the activity and selectivity are remarkably different from those... 

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