https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07342-y

https://www.cas.cn/syky/202404/t20240425_5012616.shtml

Hydroformylation reaction catalyze the conversion of olefins to aldehydes under carbon monoxide and hydrogen atmosphere, an important way to utilize olefins in high value-added conversion. Globally, more than 10 million tons of olefins are converted at high value through this reaction pathway each year, and rhodium-catalyzed propylene hydroformylation accounts for more than 70% of all olefin hydroformylation capacity. The product of this process, n-butyraldehyde, is usually further converted to n-butanol and 2-ethylhexanol. Both are basic chemical raw materials for the production of bulk household products such as plasticizers, detergents, paints and pharmaceuticals. However, rhodium molecular catalysts are in the same phase as the raw materials and products, so catalyst separation and recycling after the reaction is accompanied by rhodium loss.

A team of researchers from the CAS Shanxi Institute of Coal Chemistry, in cooperation with Sinosynthesis Oil Technology Co., has realized the production of n-butyraldehyde from the hydroformylation of propylene  with ultra-high regioselectivity by using a multiphase rhodium-molecular sieve-loaded catalyst system, with more than 99% regioselectivity. The catalytic performance results surpass all multiphase catalysts and almost all homogeneous catalysts reported so far.