A novel thermoregulated phosphine ligand used for the Rh-catalyzed hydroformylation of mixed C11-12 olefins in aqueous/organic biphasic system

A novel thermoregulated phosphine ligand Ph2P(CH2CH2O)(n)CH3 (n=22) was synthesized and used for the Rh-catalyzed hydroformylation of mixed C11-12 olefins in aqueous/organic biphasic system. Under the optimized conditions, pressure=5 MPa (H-2 center dot CO = 1:1), phosphine/Rh = 13 (molar ratio), reaction time = 6 h and temperature = 130 degrees C, the conversion of C11-12 olefins and the yield of aldehyde are 99% and 94%, respectively. The catalyst retained in aqueous phase can be easily separated from the product-containing organic phase by simple phase separation and the catalytic activity remains almost constant after four consecutive cycles. (C) 2010 Yan Hua Wang. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.