Transformations of formaldehyde and glycolaldehyde during the hydroformylation of formaldehyde in the presence of rhodium catalysts

Article abstract of DOI:10.1007/BF00696960

Hydroformylation of formaldehyde to give glycolaldehyde (GA) in the presence of RhCl(PPh3)3, RhCl(CO)(PPh3)2, or the RhCl3 + PPh3 system in N,N-dimethylacetamide was studied.The hydroformylation is accompanied by the Cannizzaro-Tishchenko reaction, condensation of CH2O with GA to give C3-C16 polyoxyladehydes (POA), and dimerization of GA.THe formation of POA, which probably occurs through coordination of GA with a Rh atom, predominates among the side reactions.The optimum conditions for hydroformylation of CH2O were found to be: RhCl3 + PPh3 as the catalyst, T CO+H2 >/= 12 MPa, -1, -3 g-at.L^-1, and -1.At a substrate conversion of 62 - 67percent, the selectivity of GA formation reaches 96percent, and the yield is 60 - 65percent. - Key words: formaldehyde, hydroformylation; glycolaldehyde; rhodium catalysts.