Solid-liquid biphasic hydroformylation of olefins catalyzed by rhodium carbonyl complexes

Some polymer-anchored alkenes have been hydroformylated by carrying out the reaction in a high-pressure reactor equipped with a suitably designed vial. The solid substrates are converted to the corresponding oxo-aldehydes in high yields. In all cases the regioselectivity was strongly shifted towards the linear aldehyde when the rhodium carbonyl complex was modified with xantphos (3: 1 or 4:1 P/Rh molar ratio). Treatment with 5% of trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane at room temperature removed quantitatively the oxo-product from the polymer support, which can be purified and reused.