Hydroformylation

Hydroformylation is a catalytic reaction that adds carbon monoxide and hydrogen to an alkene, producing an aldehyde with one additional carbon atom.

Hydridometal complex: A metal complex containing a metal–hydrogen bond that can transfer hydride to an organic substrate. Metal hydrides initiate alkene insertion in the standard catalytic cycle.
Alkene: An unsaturated hydrocarbon containing at least one carbon–carbon double bond. Alkenes supply the carbon skeleton that hydroformylation extends.
Oxidation: A chemical process in which a substance loses electrons or increases its bonding to oxygen. Oxidation of hydroformylation aldehydes provides routes to valuable carboxylic acids.
Linear-to-branched ratio: The proportion of unbranched to branched aldehyde products formed in hydroformylation. This ratio quantifies the regioselectivity that separates catalyst systems.
Otto Roelen: A German chemist who discovered hydroformylation while investigating Fischer–Tropsch chemistry. Roelen reported the reaction in 1938 while studying cobalt-catalyzed synthesis gas reactions.
Alkene coordination: The binding of an alkene to a transition-metal center through its carbon–carbon double bond. Coordination positions the alkene for insertion into the metal–hydrogen bond.
Carbon monoxide: A colorless gas consisting of one carbon atom bonded to one oxygen atom. Its carbon atom becomes the additional carbon in the aldehyde product.
Hydrogenation: The addition of molecular hydrogen to a compound, commonly using a catalyst. Hydrogenation converts hydroformylation aldehydes into alcohols.
Rhodium catalysis: Catalysis using rhodium complexes, often valued for high activity under relatively mild conditions. Rhodium catalysts commonly enable high activity and strong control of product branching.
Fischer–Tropsch process: A catalytic process that converts carbon monoxide and hydrogen into hydrocarbons. Hydroformylation emerged from Roelen’s investigation of reactions associated with this process.

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