Palladium sulfonate catalyst systems for carbonylation of olefins

Claim 2

In an improved catalytic carbonylation process for preparing acids and esters by reacting an olefinically unsaturated compound, carbon monoxide and a hydroxylic compound, at about 50° to about 150° C., in the presence of a catalyst comprising an organic phosphine liganded palladium compound and an acid, wherein the improvement comprises using a perfluorosulfonic acid as the acid.

Claim 3

Process of claim 1 wherein the olefinically unsaturated compounds are nonconjugated hydrocarbons and contain 2 to 30 carbon atoms including a terminal olefinic group and the hydroxylic compound is water or a primary or secondary alcohol which contains 1 to 10 carbon atoms and 1 to 4 hydroxyl groups.

Claim 4

Process of claim 2 wherein the palladium is added to the reaction mixture as supported palladium, a tetrakis(trialkylphosphine)- or tetrakis(triarylphosphine) palladium compound, a palladium salt of a perfluorosulfonic acid, an arylphosphine liganded palladium salt of a perfluorosulfonic acid, or a palladium salt of a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer.

Claim 5

Process of claim 2 wherein the organic phosphine is a trialkylphosphine, a triarylphosphine, or an alkylarylphosphine.

Claim 6

Process of claim 2 wherein the organic phosphine ligand is triphenylphosphine, tri-p-tolylphosphine, tri-m-tolylphosphine, ethyldiphenylphosphine, methyldiphenylphosphine, propyldiphenylphosphine or 1,6-hexamethylenebis(diphenylphosphine).

Claim 7

Process of claim 2 wherein the perfluorosulfonic acid is trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, pentafluoroethanesulfonic acid, nonafluorobutanesulfonic acid, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid or a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer.

Claim 8

Process of claim 2 wherein the acid is trifluoromethanesulfonic acid.

Claim 9

Process of claim 2 wherein the acid is perfluorooctanesulfonic acid.

Claim 10

Process of claim 2 wherein the acid is a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer.

Claim 11

Process of claim 9 wherein the perfluorosulfonic acid polymer has a number average molecular weight of at least 5,000 and an equivalent weight of 500 to 20,000.

Claim 12

Process of claim 10 wherein the molar ratio of phosphorus to palladium is at least 4 to 1; the molar ratio of olefinically unsaturated compound to palladium is about 100:1 to 5,000:1; the molar ratio of acid to palladium is about 1:1 to 50:1; the partial pressure of carbon monoxide is about 0.1 to about 25 MPa; and the amount of hydroxylic compound is at least the amount stoichiometrically required to complete the reaction.

Claim 13

Process of claim 11 wherein the olefinically unsaturated compound is propylene and the hydroxylic compound is methanol.

Claim 14

Process of claim 12 wherein the palladium is added to the reaction mixture as a salt of a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer and the orgnic phosphine is triphenylphosphine.

Claim 15

Process of claim 13 wherein the perfluorosulfonic acid polymer has an equivalent weight of about 900 to about 2000 and contains less than 5 weight percent of hydrogen, chlorine and carboxyl groups, the molar ratio of olefin to palladium is 400:1 to 3000:1, and the temperature is 80° to 120° C.