Water-soluble catalyst, rhodium-phosphine

A new homogeneous process for hydroformylation of olefins using a water-soluble catalyst has been developed (40). The catalyst is based on a rhodium complex and utilizes a water-soluble phosphine such as tri(M-sulfophenyl)phosphine. The use of an aqueous phase simplifies the separation of the catalyst and products (see Oxo process). 

Wender et al. reported a [5+2] cycloaddition in water by using a water-soluble rhodium catalyst having a bidentate phosphine ligand to give a 7-membered ring product (Eq. 4.69). This water-soluble catalyst was reused eight times without any significant loss in catalytic activity.133... 

Considerable work has been conducted on a water-soluble catalyst using sulfonated phosphine-modified rhodium. Details of this chemistry will be described in Chapter 5. The general concept (Figure 2.3) is to make the catalyst water soluble, then after product formation, decant the product. In order for the water-soluble catalyst to be effective, the alkene must dissolve in the aqueous layer. This has been demonstrated on a commercial basis using propene. The low solubility of higher alkenes in the aqueous catalyst layer has proven problematic. The desirable characteristic of the ligand, water solubility, is needed in the separation step but is a disadvantage in the reaction step. 

There are a number of reviews available on homogeneous hydrogenation. Specialized reviews are available on hydrogenation with phosphine complexes of rhodium, " on hydrogenation of arenas, on hydrogenation with water-soluble catalysts, " and on mechanistic aspects. There are general reviews covering the older and more recent literature. 

Two new phosphines, tris[p-(10-phenyldecyl)phenyl]phosphine and 2,2 -bis di [p-(10-phenyldecyl)phenylphosphinomethyl]-l,T-biphenyl were successfully synthesized and sulfonated in H2S04. The resulting water soluble surface active phosphines were applied to the rhodium catalyzed hydroformylation of higher alkenes. It is found that these two ligands are not only excellent for octene hydroformylation, but catalyze tetradecene hydroformylation under biphasic conditions as well. Rates and selectivities are superior to TPPTS-modified rhodium catalysts under the same reaction conditions [68]. 

Biphasic catalysis in the presence of water-soluble catalysts has been the most significant development in recent years. After the report of Kuntz on the synthesis of sulfonated triarylphosphine TPPTS (Figure 14.1) and its successful industrial application in Rh-catalyzed hydroformylation of propene, great attention has been focused on the scientific study and industrial application of water-soluble catalysts, especially on water-soluble phosphines [6, 7], phosphites, and other phosphide compounds as well as their rhodium complexes [8]. Among them, TPPTS is the most widely studied and applied. Other important phosphine hgands will he introduced later. 

Although rhodium recovery is efficient it is difficult to separate it from heavies that are formed in small amounts. Over time these heavies tend to result in some catalyst deactivation. One solution to this problem has been developed by Ruhrchemie/Rhone-Poulenc. In this process sulfonated triphenyl phosphine is used as the ligand, which imparts water solubility to the catalyst. The reaction is two-phase, a lower aqueous phase containing the catalyst and an upper organic phase. Fortunately the catalyst appears to sit at the interface enabling reaction to proceed efficiently. At the end of... 

This H-transfer reduction with sodium formate and employing catalysis by a water-soluble rhodium-phosphine catalyst yields dimethyl methylsuccinate [117]. 

Water-soluble complexes constitute an important class of rhodium catalysts as they permit hydrogenation using either molecular hydrogen or transfer hydrogenation with formic acid or propan-2-ol. The advantages of these catalysts are that they combine high reactivity and selectivity with an ability to perform the reactions in a biphasic system. This allows the product to be kept separate from the catalyst and allows for an ease of work-up and cost-effective catalyst recycling. The water-soluble Rh-TPPTS catalysts can easily be prepared in situ from the reaction of [RhCl(COD)]2 with the sulfonated phosphine (Fig. 15.4) in water [17]. 

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