Hydroformylation

Hydroformylation is the one-step transformation of an olefin to an aldehyde that has one more carbon atom. Hydroformylation is an important tool for organic synthesis.

Related Topics:
Olefin - Aldehyde - Carbon - Organic synthesis

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The formation of aldehydes occurs when carbon monoxide and hydrogen at high pressure (between 10 to 100 atmospheres) are treated with olefin. Generally this process needs the presence of a catalytic amount of transition metal complexes (cobalt, rhodium, or platinum complexes). It also requires a temperature between 40 and 300°C.

Related Topics:
Carbon monoxide - Hydrogen - Transition metal - Cobalt - Rhodium - Platinum

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Hydroformylation is also important in industrial processes because a new carbon-carbon bond can be formed and the product, aldehyde, is easily converted into many industrially important secondary products. The increasing interest in this process has led to continuous growth in production. The production capacity was 5.2×106 tons per year in 1980 and reached 6.6×106 tons per year in 1995.

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In recent research by academic and industrial groups, more active and selective catalytic systems have been developed by changing the structure of the ligand in the transition metal complexes. Consequently, many studies in organometallic chemistry have appeared on hydroformylation and related reactions in the last 10 years. Recent work has shown that hydroformylation can occur in mild conditions with high selectivity in new catalytic systems.

Related Topics:
Catalytic systems - Ligand - Organometallic chemistry

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