Aqueous phase catalytic hydroformylation reactions of alkenes

• Overview of recent developments for aqueous phase hydroformylation of alkenes.
• Water soluble ligands developments for rhodium/cobalt catalyzed hydroformylation.
• Use on surfactants, mass transfer additives (cyclodextrins).
• Amphiphilic phosphine based ligands.
• Use of aqueous phase hydroformylation for synthesis of fine chemicals.

The present article provides an overview of the recent developments in the area of aqueous phase hydroformylation of alkenes. The commercial application of aqueous phase hydroformylation reaction is restricted to the lower carbon chain alkenes due to the solubility and mass transfer limitations of the higher carbon chain alkenes in aqueous phase. The approaches which have been developed to improve the solubility of higher carbon chain length alkenes for aqueous phase hydroformylation reaction are emphasized in this article.

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