Amphiphilic Polymer-Supported Phosphine-Rh Complexes

Amphiphilic polymer-supported triarylphosphine ligands A and B were designed and prepared in order to use them in a water-based biphasic catalytic system. Thus, polymeric rhodium complexes of A and B prepared in situ by mixing the polymeric ligands and [Rh(acac)(CO)2](P/[Rh] = 5:1) were applied to hydroformylation of octene under aqueous conditions [water-substrate(product) biphasic system] with TOFs of up to 3700 (with A) and 1630 (with B), respectively. The hydroformylation reactions with polymers C and D, which were not functionalized with phosphino groups, in the presence of [Rh] and TPPTS exhibited much lower catalytic performance.