Synthesis reductive carbonylation

Organoaluminum compounds such as triphenylaluminum (527) are used for ketone synthesis[387]. On the other hand, the reaction of /-BuiAl affords the corresponding alcohol 528 by reductive carbonylation[388]. 

This process comprises passing synthesis gas over 5% rhodium on Si02 at 300°C and 2.0 MPa (20 atm). Principal coproducts are acetaldehyde, 24% acetic acid, 20% and ethanol, 16%. Although interest in new routes to acetaldehyde has fallen as a result of the reduced demand for this chemical, one possible new route to both acetaldehyde and ethanol is the reductive carbonylation of methanol (85). 

Pd/Al203-FeCl3, and Ce-Pd/Al203-FeCl3 catalysts exhibit activity for the synthesis of ethylphenylcarbamate from the reductive carbonylation of nitrobenzene with ethanol at 453 K and 2.07 - 2.93 MPa. The advantage of the use of Al203-supported Pd catalyst is the easy of catalyst recovery form the reactants/product mixture. 

The results of TOF and carbamate yields are summarized in Table 1. Although PdCl2(PPh3)2 exhibited the highest activity, supported Pd exhibits good activity for the carbamate synthesis for the reductive carbonylation. 

Reductive carbonylation of nitro compounds (in particular aromatic dinitro compounds) is an important target in industry for making diisocyanates, one of the starting materials for polycarbamates. At present diisocyanates are made from diamines and phosgene. Direct synthesis of isocyanates from nitro compounds would avoid the reduction of nitro compounds to anilines, the... 

The grem-dibromocyclopropanes 152 bearing a hydroxyalkyl group, prepared by the addition of dibromocarbene to allylic or homoallylic alcohols, undergo an intramolecular reductive carbonylation to the bicyclic lactones 153. bicyclic lactone derived from prenyl alcohol is an important precursor for the synthesis of ris-chrysanthemic acid. (Scheme 54)... 

Finally, the surface-mediated synthesis of ruthenium carbonyl complexes has also been used to prepare supported ruthenium particles. Using silica as a reaction medium and conventional salts, apart from Ru3(CO)i2, mononuclear Ru(CO)j, and high nuclearity carbonyl-derived species can be obtained by CO reductive carbonylation [127, 128]. This opens new routes to preparing tailored supported ruthenium particles. 

For the synthesis of fine chemicals, carbonylation, reductive carbonylation, and oxidative carbonylation of methanol can be applied as outlined in Table II. 

While the direct carbonylation is well accepted by industry, the reductive and oxidative carbonylations are still in the research and development stage. Using Texaco technology (j, 7/ ) the combined synthesis of ethene and ethanol is feasible via homologation of acids according to Figure 3. Ethene can also be obtained from the reductive carbonylation of methyl acetate to ethyl acetate followed by pyrolysis (2 ). Both routes, so far, lack selectivity. 

Although ethanol can be derived directly from synthesis gas alone - see above - reductive carbonylation (homologation) starting with methanol as a feed has received considerable attention, due to rates of conversion and better selectivity (see special chapters in ref. 3, A,... 

Acetaldehyde is obtained from the reaction of synthesis gas with methanol, methyl ketals or methyl esters. The reactions are carried out with an iodide-promoted Co catalyst at 180-200 °C and 2000-5000 psig. In comparing the various feedstocks, the best overall process to make acetaldehyde involves the reductive carbonylation of methyl esters. In this case, acetaldehyde selec-tivities are > 95% ut acceptable rates and conversion. 

Reductive Carbonylation of Methanol. The reductive carbonylation of methanol (solvent free) was studied at variable I/Co, PPh,/I, temperature, pressure, synthesis gas ratio and methanol conversion (gas uptake) in the batch reactor, A summary of the results is given in Table I. In general, the acetaldehyde rate and selectivity increase with increasing I/Co. The PPh /I ratio has little effect except in run //7 where the rate is drastically reduced at I/Co =3.5 and PPh /I r 2. A good set of conditions is I/Co =3 5 and PPh /I = 1,T where the acetaldehyde rate and selectivity is 7.6 M/nr and 765 at 170 °C and 5000 psig. The effect of methanol conversion at these conditions is obtained by compearing runs 13, 1, 14, and 15. The gas uptake was varied from 14000 to 4000 psi, which corresponds to observed methanol conversions of 68% to 38 te. 

Reductive Carbonylation of Methyl Esters. The best alternative, and in our opinion, the best reported synthesis gas based process to produce acetaldehyde, is the reductive carbonylation of methyl esters. Equation 15 (16). 

Reductive Carbonylation of Methyl Acetate One Step Synthesis ... 

The overall synthesis involves two consecutive steps. The first one is a CO-induced reductive carbonylation of RUCI3 3H2O, producing in sim an equilibrium mixture of two carbonylchlororuthenium(II) complexes, [Ru(CO)2Cl2] and [Ru(CO)3Cl2]2-... 

Reductive carbonylation in alkaline methanol solution of Na2[PtCl6] 6H20 gives the series of dianions [Pt3(CO)6]2 (n = 3-10) the value of n depends on the alkaline reagent and the experimental conditions.1 The lowest term of this series of inorganic oligomers, which has been isolated in the solid state, is the [Pt6(CO)12]2- dianion. Its reported synthesis is based on the reduction with lithium metal in tetrahydrofuran (THF) of Pt(CO)2Cl2, or of preformed [Pt3(CO)6]2 (n > 3).1,2... 

---