Copper(II) Triflate as a Source of Triflic Acid: Effective, Green Catalysis of Hydroalkoxylation Reactions

The hydroalkoxylation of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) and norbornene (NB) with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) for the synthesis of industrially relevant monomers has been investigated with various metal-based Lewis acids and strong Bronsted acids. In the absence of other additives, copper(II) triflate is the most efficient catalyst system. Kinetics, electron spin resonance (ESR), catalyst poisoning and cross experiments indicate that triflic acid (TfOH) is the true active catalyst in these reactions. This in situ generation of TfOH occurs via reduction of Cu(OTf)(2) by the olefin reagent (DCPD, NB). The copper ions present in the reaction mixture act as radical polymerization retardants, preventing polymerization of HEMA (which is observed with most other metal salts and strong Bronsted acids investigated), thus improving the selectivity and yield (up to 95%) for the desired products. These observations have led to the development of a highly effective green process, using bulk reagents (no solvent) and a cheap, metal-free catalyst system, based on TfOH and a phenolic radical inhibitor (2,5-di-tert-butylhydroxytoluene, BHT).