Hydroformylation of 1-hexene with a cobalt catalyst in ionic liquids: A new efficient approach for generation and recycling of the catalyst

Abstract

Hydroformylation of olefins has been performed with a system based on cobalt and pyridine ligands in non-aqueous ionic liquids. In this work, a new approach was developed to recycle the cobalt catalyst without the use of chemicals. For 1-hexene, activity of the "[Co2(CO)8]/ Pyridine(2 eq)/[BMIM] [NTf2]" at 100 bar and 130°C can reach 110 h-1 with a selectivity for aldehydes of up to 87% (linear to branched ratio being around 1.8). The recycling of the ionic liquid phase was performed several times without loss of activity or selectivity. Copyright © 2007, Institut français du pétrole.