The present disclosure relates to a method of using homogenous rhodium-BIPHEPHOS catalysts comprising for the hydroformylation of an allyl alcohol. In some aspects, the methods provided herein relate to the hydroformylation of allyl alcohol to produce 4-hydroxybutyraldehyde in a continuous process.

New diphosphites based on cis-butene-1,4-diol.

The present invention provides a catalyst system capable of catalyzing the carbonylation of an ethylenically unsaturated compound, which system is obtainable by combining: a) a metal of Group VIB or Group VIIIB or a compound thereof, b) a bidentate phosphine, arsine or stibine ligand, and c) an acid,
wherein the ligand is present in at least a 2:1 molar excess compared to the metal or the metal in the metal compound, and that the acid is present in at least a 2:1 molar excess compared to the ligand, a process for the carbonylation of an ethylenically unsaturated compound, a reaction medium, and use of the system.

6,6′-([1,1′-Biphenyl]-2,3′,-diylbis)oxy))didibenzo[d,f][1,3,2]dioxaphosphepines and the use thereof in hydroformylation.

New diphosphites based on cis-butene-1,4-diol.

A process for the hydroformylation of ethylene, with a transition metal, e.g., rhodium, catalyst promoted with a bidentate ligand of Formula I, II or III in which each R.sub.1-R.sub.24 are independently a hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl group, an aromatic ring, a heteroaromatic ring or a halogen atom, or a heterocarbyl group. X.sub.1 is CH.sub.2 or O, while X.sub.2 is O or C(R.sub.25).sub.2, where each R.sub.25 may be the same or different and is a hydrogen, a cycloaliphatic group, an aromatic ring, a heteroaromatic ring or a halogen atom, or a heterocarbyl group, wherein two R.sub.25 groups may combine in a fused ring, and Y is a pyrrole group bound via the nitrogen atom to phosphorus, wherein each pyrrole group may bear multiple substituents selected from among the groups alkyl, alkoxy, acyl, carboxyl, carboxylate, cyano, —SO.sub.3H, sulfonate, amino, trifluoromethyl and halogen. ##STR00001##

A process for the production of organic acids having at least three carbon atoms comprises the steps of forming an amount of carbon monoxide and reacting the amount of carbon monoxide with an amount of an unsaturated hydrocarbon. The reaction is preferably carried out in the presence of a supported palladium catalyst, a strong acid, and a phosphine. In some embodiments, the unsaturated hydrocarbon is one of acetylene and methylacetylene, and the organic acid is one of acrylic acid and methyl acrylic acid. The reacting step is preferably performed with carbon monoxide produced from carbon dioxide.

The invention provides compounds of general structure I: (Ar.sup.1—Ar.sup.2—Ar.sup.3-E-P(=D)R.sub.2-).sub.nM.sub.mX.sub.nL.sub.n″. In this structure: •Ar.sup.1, Ar.sup.2 and Ar.sup.3 are aromatic groups wherein: —Ar.sup.1 and Ar.sup.3 are in a 1,3 relationship on Ar.sup.2, —each of Ar.sup.1, Ar.sup.2 and Ar.sup.3 optionally comprises one or more ring substituents of formula YR′.sub.r wherein each Y independently is absent or is O, S, B, N or Si and each R′ is independently H, halogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl or heteroaryl and r is 1, 2 or 3, where r is 1 if Y is absent or is O or S, 2 if Y is B or N and 3 if Y is Si, —Ar.sup.1, Ar.sup.2 and Ar.sup.3 are each independently carbocyclic or heterocyclic and each is independently monocyclic, bicyclic or polycyclic and each ring of each of Ar.sup.1, Ar.sup.2 and Ar.sup.3 independently has 5, 6 or 7 ring atoms; •E is absent or is selected from the group consisting of O, S, NR″, SiR″.sub.2, AsR″.sub.2 and CR″.sub.2; •M is a complexing metal; •X is selected from the group consisting of H, F, Br, CI, I, OTf, dba (dibenzylidene acetone), OC(═O)CF.sub.3 and OAc; •L is selected from the group consisting of PR″.sub.2, NR″.sub.2, OR″, SR″, SiR″.sub.3, AsR″.sub.3, alkene, alkyne, aryl and heteroaryl, each of said alkene, alkyne, aryl and heteroaryl being optionally substituted, for example with one or more halogens and/or with one or more R groups as defined herein; •each R is independently alkyl, cycloalkyl, heterocyclyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl or -, heteroaryl; •D is absent or is ═S or —O or —Z-linker-Z—, where each Z independently is O or NH or N-alkyl and linker is an alkyl chain of 2-5 carbon atoms in length; •each R″ is independently H, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl or heteroaryl, each other than H being optionally substituted, or R″.sub.2 is —Z-linker-Z— as defined above; and •m is 0 or 1 or 2; wherein if m is 0, n is 1, n′ and n″ are 0 and -- is absent; and if m is 1 or 2, n is 1 or 2 and n′ and n″ are integers such that the coordination sphere of M is filled, and D is absent.

A process for removing acetaldehyde efficiently and producing high-purity acetic acid stably is provided. Methanol is allowed to continuously react with carbon monoxide in a carbonylation reactor 1 in the presence of a catalyst system; the reaction mixture is continuously fed to a flasher 2 to form a volatile phase (2A) containing acetic acid and methyl iodide; the volatile phase (2A) is continuously fed to a splitter column 3 to form an overhead (3A) containing methyl iodide and acetaldehyde and a stream (3B) containing acetic acid; the volatile phase (2A) and/or the overhead (3A) is cooled by a first condenser C1, C3 at a predetermined cooling temperature; and the noncondensed gaseous component is further cooled by a second condenser C2, C4 to form a concentrate having a lower temperature and a higher acetaldehyde concentration. Acetaldehyde is efficiently removed by distilling the concentrate having a high acetaldehyde concentration.

Bisphosphites having at least one unsymmetric outer biphenol unit are useful for the hydroformylation of an olefin.