Modification of rhodium carbonyl catalysts for hydroformylation of 2-butenes by organophosphorus ligands

The influence of the nature of the organophosphorus ligand and the P/Rh molar ratio on the catalytic properties of rhodium carbonyl complexes in hydroformylation of 2-butenes was studied. The difference between phosphine and phosphite ligands during the formation of highly selective catalytic complexes was found. It was supposed that a decrease in the selectivity with respect to 2-methylbutanal is due to the isomerization of olefins under conditions of a decrease in the competitive capability of CO for coordination sites (the high P/Rh ratio, a decrease in the total pressure of the synthesis-gas). Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 702–704, April, 1999.