Hydroformylation in Microemulsions: Proof of Concept in a Miniplant

Solubilization of Aldehydes and Amines in Aqueous CiEj Surfactant Aggregates: Solubilization Capacity and Aggregate Properties

Hydroformylation of olefins to aldehydes and subsequent reductive amination of aldehydes to amines takes place in an aqueous system using a water-soluble catalyst. It is limited to short-chain molecules due to an insufficient solubility of long-chain molecules in water. A promising approach to increase the solubility of long-chain aldehydes and amines is the addition of surfactants to the aqueous phase. In this work, we thus determined the solubilization capacity (SC) of different nonionic C_iE_j surfactants (C₈E₆, C₁₀E₆, and C₁₀E₈) toward long-chain aldehydes and amines. We used static and dynamic light scattering techniques to investigate the influence of both the surfactant and solute molecular structures on the SC as well as on the aggregation number (N_agg) and hydrodynamic radius (R_h) of mixed aggregates. Our data reveals that an optimum ratio of hydrophobic to hydrophilic chain length of C_iE_j surfactants exists where the SC toward long-chain aldehydes and amines possesses a maximum. Further, the size of the aggregates (N_agg, R_h) passes through a minimum upon amine solubilization, while upon aldehyde solubilization, the aggregate size increases gradually. The results shown in this work give valuable insights to the solubilization of aldehydes and n-amines into nonionic C_iE_j surfactants and facilitate the search of suitable surfactants for hydroformylation and reductive amination as "green" solvents based on the detailed knowledge about the aggregate structure.

Influence of Temperature and Concentration on the Self-Assembly of Nonionic CiEj Surfactants: A Light Scattering Study

Nonionic poly(ethylene oxide) alkyl ether (C_iE_j) surfactants self-assemble into aggregates of various sizes and shapes above their critical micelle concentration (CMC). Knowledge on solution attributes such as CMC as well as aggregate characteristics is crucial to choose the appropriate surfactant for a given application, e.g., as a micellar solvent system. In this work, we used static and dynamic light scattering to measure the CMC, aggregation number (N _agg), and hydrodynamic radius (R _h) of four different C_iE_j surfactants (C₈E₅, C₈E₆, C₁₀E₆, and C₁₀E₈). We examined the influence of temperature, concentration, and molecular structure on the self-assembly in the vicinity of the CMC. A minimum in the CMC vs temperature curve was identified for all surfactants investigated. Further, extending the hydrophilic and hydrophobic chain lengths leads to an increase and decrease of the CMC, respectively. The size of the aggregates strongly depends on temperature. N _agg and R _h increase with increasing temperature for all surfactants investigated. Additionally, N _agg and R _h both increase with increasing surfactant concentration. The data obtained in this work further improve the understanding of the influence of temperature and molecular structure on the self-assembly of C_iE_j surfactants and will further foster their use in micellar solvent systems.

Rh-Catalyzed Reductive Amination of Undecanal in an Aqueous Microemulsion System Using a Non-Ionic Surfactant

The homogeneously catalyzed reductive amination of the long-chain aldehyde undecanal with diethylamine was performed in an aqueous microemulsion system using the non-ionic surfactant Marlophen NP8. The experiments showed that the used water-soluble rhodium/SulfoXantphos catalyst system is suitable for this reaction. The Rh-catalyzed formation of the alcohol by-product can be completely suppressed by the use of carbon monoxide with its stabilizing effect of the catalyst system. In addition to pressure and temperature, the most important parameters for the reaction performance of the reductive amination are the concentrations of reactants. Especially, the initial concentration of the aldehyde has a strong impact on the chemoselectivity, and the formation of aldol by-product due to the fact that both, the enamine condensation and the aldol condensation are equilibrium reactions.

Heterogeneous Catalysis with the Participation of Ionic Liquids

This mini-review briefly describes the recent progress in the design and development of catalysts based on the presence of ionic liquids. In particular, the focus was on heterogeneous systems (supported ionic liquid (IL) phase catalysts (SILPC), solid catalysts with ILs (SCILL), porous liquids), which due to the low amounts of ionic liquids needed for their production, eliminate basic problems observed in the case of the employment of ionic liquids in homogeneous systems, such as high price, high viscosity, and efficient isolation from post-reaction mixtures.

Rhodium-Catalyzed Aqueous Biphasic Olefin Hydroformylation Promoted by Amphiphilic Cyclodextrins

Hydroformylation is an industrial process that allows for the production of aldehydes from alkenes using transition metals. The reaction can be carried out in water, and the catalyst may be recycled at the end of the reaction. The industrial application of rhodium-catalyzed aqueous hydroformylation has been demonstrated for smaller olefins (propene and butene). Unfortunately, larger olefins are weakly soluble in water, which results in very low catalytic activity. In an attempt to counteract this, we investigated the use of amphiphilic oleic succinyl-cyclodextrins (OS-CDs) synthesized from oleic acid derivatives and maleic anhydride. OS-CDs were found to increase the catalytic activity of rhodium during the hydroformylation of water-insoluble olefins, such as 1-decene and 1-hexadecene, by promoting mass transfer. Recyclability of the catalytic system was also evaluated in the presence of these cyclodextrins.

Systematic Selection of Green Solvents and Process Optimization for the Hydroformylation of Long-Chain Olefines

Including ecologic and environmental aspects in chemical engineering requires new methods for process design and optimization. In this work, a hydroformylation process of long-chain olefines is investigated. A thermomorphic multiphase system is employed that is homogeneous at reaction conditions and biphasic at lower temperatures for catalyst recycling. In an attempt to replace the toxic polar solvent N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), ecologically benign alternatives are selected using a screening approach. Economic process optimization is conducted for DMF and two candidate solvents. It is found that one of the green candidates performs similarly well as the standard benchmark solvent DMF, without being toxic. Therefore, the candidate has the potential to replace it.

Supramolecular Chemistry and Self-Organization: A Veritable Playground for Catalysis

The directed assembly of molecular building blocks into discrete supermolecules or extended supramolecular networks through noncovalent intermolecular interactions is an ongoing challenge in chemistry. This challenge may be overcome by establishing a hierarchy of intermolecular interactions that, in turn, may facilitate the edification of supramolecular assemblies. As noncovalent interactions can be used to accelerate the reaction rates and/or to increase their selectivity, the development of efficient and practical catalytic systems, using supramolecular chemistry, has been achieved during the last few decades. However, between discrete and extended supramolecular assemblies, the newly developed “colloidal tectonics” concept allows us to link the molecular and macroscopic scales through the structured engineering of colloidal structures that can be applied to the design of predictable, versatile, and switchable catalytic systems. The main cutting-edge strategies involving supramolecular chemistry and self-organization in catalysis will be discussed and compared in this review.

Alkaline Hydrolysis of Methyl Decanoate in Surfactant-Based Systems

Surfactant-modified reaction systems are one approach to perform organic reactions with water as the solvent involving hydrophobic reactants. Herein, the alkaline hydrolysis of the long-chain methyl decanoate in cationic and nonionic surfactant-modified systems is reported. The physicochemical behavior of the reaction mixture and the performance of the alkaline hydrolysis were systematically investigated. In water as the solvent, the reaction is slow, but at elevated temperatures, the alkaline hydrolysis of methyl decanoate is accelerated because the reaction product sodium decanoate acts as an ionic surfactant, leading to an increased solubility of methyl decanoate in the aqueous phase. The rate can be significantly increased by the addition of surfactants as solubilizers. In nonionic TX-100 solutions, the reaction rate can be increased by a factor of about 100 for a surfactant concentration of 5 wt %. If cationic surfactants are applied, the reaction rate can be further increased due to the electrostatic interaction between the hydroxide ions in solution and the charged head groups of the cationic micelles.

Colloidal polymer particles as catalyst carriers and phase transfer agents in multiphasic hydroformylation reactions

HYPOTHESIS

Colloidal particles have been used to covalently bind ligands for the heterogenization of homogeneous catalysts. The replacement of the covalent bonds by electrostatic interactions between particles and the catalyst could preserve the selectivity of a truly homogeneous catalytic process.

EXPERIMENTS

Functionalized polymer particles with trimethylammonium moieties, dispersed in water, with a hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic shell have been synthesized by emulsion polymerization and have been thoroughly characterized. The ability of the particles with different monomer compositions to act as catalyst carriers has been studied. Finally, the colloidal dispersions have been applied as phase transfer agents in the multiphasic rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation of 1-octene.

FINDINGS

The hydrodynamic radius of the particles has been shown to be around 100 nm, and a core-shell structure could be observed by atomic force microscopy. The polymer particles were proven to act as carriers for the water-soluble hydroformylation catalyst, due to electrostatic interaction between the functionalized particles bearing ammonium groups and the sulfonated ligands of the catalyst. The particles were stable under the hydroformylation conditions and the aqueous catalyst phase could be recycled three times.

Multiphasic aqueous hydroformylation of 1-alkenes with micelle-like polymer particles as phase transfer agents

Micelle-like polymer particles have been applied in aqueous multiphasic hydroformylation reactions of long chain alkenes. These colloids act as phase transfer agents for the nonpolar substrates and as carriers for the catalyst bearing sulfonated ligands by electrostatic attraction. The catalyst performance and the phase separation were optimized with special focus on the conversion, selectivity and catalyst recovery, as those are key points in multiphasic systems to achieve a feasible industrial process. The effect on the catalyst performance of the number of sulfonate groups and electron withdrawing trifluoromethyl groups in the ligand has been studied. The approach was successfully demonstrated for 1-alkenes from 1-hexene to 1-dodecene. For 1-octene, a TOF of more than 3000 h⁻¹ could be achieved at a substrate to catalyst ratio of 80 000, while keeping the rhodium and phosphorous leaching below 1 ppm. In repetitive batch experiments the catalyst was recycled four times, yielding an accumulated TON of more than 100 000 for 1-octene.

Micelle-like polyelectrolyte polymer particles were applied as phase transfer agents and catalyst carriers in the multiphasic hydroformylation of long chain alkenes achieving high turnover frequencies and efficient catalyst recovery.

Water-soluble phosphane-substituted cyclodextrin as an effective bifunctional additive in hydroformylation of higher olefins

Cyclodextrins substituted with a sulfophenyl phosphane show an excellent recognition ability towards higher olefins in aqueous biphasic Rh-catalyzed hydroformylation.

Boron modified TiO2 nanotubes supported Rh-nanoparticle catalysts for highly efficient hydroformylation of styrene

Boron modified TiO₂ nanotubes supported Rh-nanoparticle is created as a highly efficient catalyst for hydroformylation of styrene.