A new, highly selective, water-soluble rhodium catalyst for methyl acrylate hydroformylation

Synthesis Strategies towards Tagged Homogeneous Catalysts To Improve Their Separation

The recycling of homogeneous catalysts while keeping them in the homogeneous matrix is an ongoing challenge many reactions face if they are to find industrial applications. While a plethora of different synthetic approaches towards better, recyclable homogeneous catalysts exist, the literature shows a gap when one searches for a concise overview of the different catalyst modifications. This Review is designed to close that gap by summarising the existing synthesis pathways towards polar, non-polar, fluorous, and molecular-weight-enlarged catalysts and by examining their respective synthesis routes with a focus on modular and late-stage approaches. Furthermore, we map out the potential for a generally applicable tag library that allows straightforward catalyst modifications to tune them for each desired recycling strategy.

Hydroformylation of unsaturated esters and 2,3-dihydrofuran under solventless conditions at room temperature catalysed by rhodium N-pyrrolyl phosphine catalysts

Complexes of the type HRh(CO)L₃ (where L is an N-pyrrolyl phosphine, e.g. P(NC₄H₄)₃, Ph(NC₄H₄)₂, or PPh₂(NC₄H₄)) were applied in the hydroformylation of less reactive unsaturated substrates (allyl acetate, butyl acrylate, methyl acrylate, 2,3-dihydrofuran, vinyl acetate).

Selective hydroformylation of alkyl acrylates using [2,2′-bis(dipyrrolylphosphinooxy)-1,1′-(±)-binaphthyl]/Rh catalyst: reversal of regioselectivity

Deuterioformylation clarified the possible mechanism for the regioselectivity reversal of hydroformylation of alkyl acrylate at low and high temperature.

Studies of interaction between Rh(I) and human serum albumin in a “nanostructured biocatalyst” active in the hydroformylation reaction

The interaction between Rh(CO)(2)(acac=acetylacetonate ion) and human serum albumin (HSA) in a hydrosoluble nanostructured biocatalyst active in homogeneous hydroformylation was characterised by means of matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS), high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). MALDI-TOFMS substantiates that the biocatalyst consists of a tetrameric structure of HSA that could bind up to 89 Rh(CO)(2)(+) units. A comparison between samples of pure HSA and the biocatalyst, both tryptic digested, showed a significant change in the tertiary structure of the protein in the HSA/Rh adduct, probably ascribable to the interaction of Rh(I) ions with sulphur atoms in the HSA moiety. SEM observations confirmed an evident denaturation of the protein and an outstanding correspondence between the surface distribution of Rh and S atoms; this is indirect evidence that the metal ion interacts strongly mainly with the sulphur atoms. Furthermore, an excellent agreement between calculated and measured (SEM) S/Rh elemental mean ratio was observed. Finally, an electrostatic interaction between Rh(I) and sulphur atoms was ruled out by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) findings.