Rhodium molecules

Rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation has been studied extensively (16—29). The most active catalyst source is hydridocarbonyltris(triphenylphosphine)rhodium, HRhCO[P(CgH )2]3 (30). However, a molecule of triphenylphosphine is presumed to dissociate to form the active species (21,28). Eurther dissociation could occur as shown ia equation 3. 

With Unsaturated Compounds. The reaction of unsaturated organic compounds with carbon monoxide and molecules containing an active hydrogen atom leads to a variety of interesting organic products. The hydroformylation reaction is the most important member of this class of reactions. When the hydroformylation reaction of ethylene takes place in an aqueous medium, diethyl ketone [96-22-0] is obtained as the principal product instead of propionaldehyde [123-38-6] (59). Ethylene, carbon monoxide, and water also yield propionic acid [79-09-4] under mild conditions (448—468 K and 3—7 MPa or 30—70 atm) using cobalt or rhodium catalysts containing bromide or iodide (60,61). 

Reaction of [Rh(/z-Cl)(CO)2]2 with sodium pyrazolate leads to 206 (85CJC699). The Rh2N2Cl ring has the envelope conformation. The rhodium atom has distorted square-planar coordination. The molecules in the crystalline lattice form onedimensional stacking units with alternating rhodium atoms in the binuclear units, intermolecularly interacting in a zigzag chain. 

L = C3H3, C H ) and then [Rh(acac)(CO),] to yield the tetranuclear species 180 (85ICA(i00)L5), where the heterocyclic ligands are tridentate. The product reacts with the rhodium(I) dimer [Rh(CO)2Cl]3 to give the trinuclear complex 181. In the solid state, the molecules of this complex form the intermolecular stacks along the z-axis. 

Ruthenium is excellent for hydrogenation of aliphatic carbonyl compounds (92), and it, as well as nickel, is used industrially for conversion of glucose to sorbitol (14,15,29,75,100). Nickel usually requires vigorous conditions unless large amounts of catalyst are used (11,20,27,37,60), or the catalyst is very active, such as W-6 Raney nickel (6). Copper chromite is always used at elevated temperatures and pressures and may be useful if aromatic-ring saturation is to be avoided. Rhodium has given excellent results under mild conditions when other catalysts have failed (4,5,66). It is useful in reduction of aliphatic carbonyls in molecules susceptible to hydrogenolysis. 

Nickel, rhodium, palladium, platinum, and Raney cobalt (43) have all been used successfully in reductive alkylations. Platinum is the most used by far (J6). With small carbonyl molecules, such as acetone, palladium is about as effective as platinum, but as the molecular weight increases, platinum is apt to be more effective (SO). 

In class (1), a range of small molecules adds to rhodium, usually with the loss of one PPh3, thus maintaining the 16-electron configuration, rather than an 18-electron species unable to bind a substrate. 

Like other planar rhodium(I) complexes, Rh(RNC)4 undergoes oxidative addition with halogens to form 18-electron rhodium(III) species and also add other small molecules (S02, NO+) (Figure 2.31). 

Rhodium forms an EDTA complex isomorphous with the corresponding ones of Ru, Fe, Ga and Cr. In Rh(EDTAH)(H20) one carboxylate is proton-ated and thus the acid is pentadentate, the water molecule completing the octahedron (Figure 2.43). 

As with rhodium (and cobalt), introduction of five ammonia molecules is relatively straightforward, but the sixth substitution is difficult, requiring more forcing conditions. One versatile route involves the formation of the pentammine triflate complex ion [Ir(NH3)5(03SCF3)]2+, where the labile triflate group is readily replaced by water, then by a range of anionic ligands [148]. 

Rhodium(I) complexes are effective reagents and/or catalysts for the decarbonylation of acyl halides and aldehydes 9 11,34,195,230,231,236). The compound Rh(PPh3)3Cl, especially, has received considerable attention. The first step in such reactions involves oxidative addition to Rh(I) of the organic molecule, exemplified by the following ... 

As an introductory example we take one of the key reactions in cleaning automotive exhaust, the catalytic oxidation of CO on the surface of noble metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium. To describe the process, we will assume that the metal surface consists of active sites, denoted as We define them properly later on. The catalytic reaction cycle begins with the adsorption of CO and O2 on the surface of platinum, whereby the O2 molecule dissociates into two O atoms (X indicates that the atom or molecule is adsorbed on the surface, i.e. bound to the site ) ... 

Looking at the trends in dissociation probability across the transition metal series, dissociation is favored towards the left, and associative chemisorption towards the right. This is nicely illustrated for CO on the 4d transition metals in Fig. 6.36, which shows how, for Pd and Ag, molecular adsorption of CO is more stable than adsorption of the dissociation products. Rhodium is a borderline case and to the left of rhodium dissociation is favored. Note that the heat of adsorption of the C and O atoms changes much more steeply across the periodic table than that for the CO molecule. A similar situation occurs with NO, which, however, is more reactive than CO, and hence barriers for dissociation are considerably lower for NO. 

NO is now chemisorbed on the Rh particles at a temperature where it does not adsorb on the AI2O3. The saturation coverage of NO on Rh(lOO) corresponds to one NO molecule per two rhodium surface atoms, with NO sitting in a c(2x2) surface structure. After having saturated the catalyst with NO, a temperature-programmed desorption experiment (TPD) is performed with a heating rate of 2 K min". NO is seen to desorb with a maximal rate at 460 K. The total NO gas that desorbs amounts to 18.5 mL per gram catalyst (P = 1 bar and T = 300 K). It can be assumed that NO does not dissociate on the Rh(lOO) surface. 

We have undertaken a series of experiments Involving thin film models of such powdered transition metal catalysts (13,14). In this paper we present a brief review of the results we have obtained to date Involving platinum and rhodium deposited on thin films of tltanla, the latter prepared by oxidation of a tltanliua single crystal. These systems are prepared and characterized under well-controlled conditions. We have used thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and static secondary Ion mass spectrometry (SSIMS). Our results Illustrate the power of SSIMS In understanding the processes that take place during thermal treatment of these thin films. Thermal desorption spectroscopy Is used to characterize the adsorption and desorption of small molecules, In particular, carbon monoxide. AES confirms the SSIMS results and was used to verify the surface cleanliness of the films as they were prepared. 

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