Process for stabilizing a phosphite ligand against degradation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9328047-B2
Application number	US-201314429672-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2013
Priority date	Sep 25, 2012
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

A process for stabilizing a phosphite ligand against degradation in a hydroformylation reaction fluid, said process comprising adding an epoxide to the reaction fluid, and further comprising separating one or more phosphorus acidic compounds from the reaction fluid by treating the reaction fluid with an aqueous buffer solution under conditions sufficient to neutralize and remove at least some amount of the phosphorus acidic compounds from the reaction fluid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for stabilizing a phosphite ligand against degradation in a hydroformylation reaction fluid comprising a metal-organophosphite ligand complex catalyst and the phosphite ligand, said process comprising adding to the reaction fluid from 0.001 to 5 weight percent, based on the weight of the reaction fluid, of an epoxide, and further comprising separating one or more phosphorus acidic compounds from the reaction fluid by treating at least a portion of the reaction fluid with an aqueous buffer solution under conditions sufficient to neutralize and remove at least some amount of the phosphorus acidic compounds from the reaction fluid.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the epoxide addition is performed in a continuous manner.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the epoxide addition is performed on an as-needed or intermittent basis.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the buffer extraction is performed in a continuous manner.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the buffer extraction being performed on an as-needed or intermittent basis.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein the buffer extraction is performed in a batch-mode.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein the reaction fluid further comprises an amine.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein the metal of the catalyst is Rh.

9. The process of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the epoxide is added to a reactor.

10. The process of claim 1 wherein the reaction fluid comprises an organic phase and the aqueous buffer solution comprises a separate aqueous phase.

11. A process for stabilizing a phosphite ligand against degradation in a hydroformylation reaction fluid comprising a metal-organophosphite ligand complex catalyst and the phosphite ligand, said process comprising adding to the reaction fluid from 0.001 to 5 weight percent, based on the weight of the reaction fluid, of an epoxide, wherein at least a portion of the epoxide is added to a reactor, and then separating one or more phosphorus acidic compounds from the reaction fluid by treating at least a portion of the reaction fluid with an aqueous buffer solution in an extractor under conditions sufficient to neutralize and remove at least some amount of the phosphorus acidic compounds from the reaction fluid.

Assignees

• Dow Technology Investments Llc

Inventors

• Miller Glenn A
• Eisenschmid Thomas C
• Brammer Michael A
• Watson Rick B

Classifications

• C07F9/65744

  condensed with carbocyclic or heterocyclic rings or ring systems · CPC title

• C07C45/505 Primary

  Asymmetric hydroformylation · CPC title

• C07C45/50

  by oxo-reactions · CPC title

• B01J2231/321

  Hydroformylation, metalformylation, carbonylation or hydroaminomethylation · CPC title

• B01J31/185 Primary

  Phosphites ((RO)3P) , their isomeric phosphonates (R(RO)2P=O) and RO-substitution derivatives thereof · CPC title