Telomerization of 1,3-Butadiene the Kuraray Process

Telomerization is one of the very first reactions carried out in aqueous/organic two phase systems. In 1976, Kuntz at Rhone-Poulenc518 reduced PdCl2 with NaBH4 in the presence of tppms to afford a catalyst for the telomerization of 

Palladium complexes generated from the sulfonated ligand 5 (Table 2 R=Me, n=0,l,2) were also used to catalyse the telomerization of 1,3-butadiene with water108 and from the aminophosphines 83 (Table 5 R=Ph R =H,Me R =Me,iPr n=2,3) with MeOH to give l-methoxy-2,7-octadiene in selectivities up to 78% at conversions ranging from 52 to 80%.232 Pd/83 (R=Ph R =H,Me R =Me,iPr n=2,3) catalysts are more active but less selective in the latter reaction compared to their tppts counterparts.232 9 

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