Phosphorus-free nitrogen-containing catalytic systems for hydroformylation and tandem hydroformylation-based reactions

Hydroformylation is an important industrial process applied for the production of many highly-demanded chemicals. For now, only the Co/phosphine, Rh/phosphine, or ligand-free systems are used in industry. Although most of the research dealing with hydroformylation also considers systems with phosphorus-containing ligands or heterogeneous materials, the interest in developing phosphorus-free nitrogen-containing systems tends to grow during the last decade. N-ligands can be easier to synthesize, more stable towards oxidation, and at the same time add some useful features, such as the higher activity in the tandem hydroformylation-based reactions. The review is focused on the progress made in the design of N-ligands for homogeneous and biphasic hydro-formylation of unsaturated compounds, as well as N-containing heterogeneous catalysts for the process. In addition, the data on tandem reactions, such as reductive hydroformylation and hydroaminomethylation, are systematized and discussed.

Automated summary

This review focuses on the progress made in the design of N-ligands for homogeneous and biphasic hydroformylation, as well as the data on important tandem reactions in hydroformylation.