Bio-Solvents: Synthesis, Industrial Production and Applications

Solvents are at the heart of many research and industrial chemical processes and consumer product formulations, yet an overwhelming number are derived from fossils. This is despite societal and legislative push that more products be produced from carbon-neutral resources, so as to reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact. Biomass is a promising renewable alternative resource for producing bio-solvents, and this review focuses on their extraction and synthesis on a laboratory and large scale. Starch, lignocellulose, plant oils, animal fats and proteins have been combined with creative synthetic pathways, novel technologies and processes to afford known or new bio-derived solvents including acids, alkanes, aromatics, ionic liquids (ILs), furans, esters, ethers, liquid polymers and deep eutectic solvents (DESs)—all with unique physiochemical properties that warrant their use as solvation agents in manufacturing, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, chemicals, energy, food and beverage industries, etc. Selected bio-solvents, conversion technologies and processes operating at commercial and demonstration scale including (1) Solvay’s Augeo™ SL 191 renewable solvent, (2) Circa Group’s Furacell™ technology and process for making levoglucosenone (LGO) to produce dihydrolevoglucosenone (marketed as Cyrene™), (3) Sappi’s Xylex® technology and demonstration scale processes that aim to manufacture precursors for bio-solvents and (4) Anellotech’s Bio-TCat™ technology and process for producing benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX) are highlighted

Rhodium(I) ferrocenylcarbene complexes : synthesis, structural determination electrochemistry and application as hydroformylation catalyst precursors

New examples of the rare class of rhodium(I) ferrocenyl Fischer carbene complexes 1–8, [Rh(LL)Cl{C(XR)Fc}] [LL = cod, (CO)2, (CO, PR3) (R = Ph, Cy or OPh) and (CO, AsPh3); XR=OEt or NHnPr] were prepared, and the electronic effects of co-ligands and alkoxy vs. aminocarbene substituents were investigated by spectroscopic and electrochemical methods. The molecular structures of complexes 1, 2 and 4–6 were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The use of the complexes 1–8 as homogeneous catalysts for the hydroformylation of 1-octene was demonstrated, and the influence of the carbene substituents and co-ligands on the activity and regioselectivity of the catalysis evaluated. Finally, the stability of the Rh-Ccarbene bond of complex 1 under hydroformylation conditions was confirmed with 13C NMR experiments.National Research Foundation, South Africa (D.I.B., Grant numbers 87890, 92521 and 92581) and Sasol Technology R&D Pty. Ltd.,South Africa, and the NRF-DST Centre of Excellence in Catalysis (c* change ). A generous loan of rhodium trichloride hydrate from Johnson Matthey/AngloAmerican Platinum Ltd. .http://pubs.acs.org/journal/orgnd72016-12-31hb201

Rhodium(I) Ferrocenylcarbene Complexes: Synthesis, Structural Determination, Electrochemistry, and Application as Hydroformylation Catalyst Precursors

New examples of the rare class of rhodium­(I) ferrocenyl Fischer carbene complexes <b>1</b>–<b>8</b>, [Rh­(LL)­Cl­{C­(XR)­Fc}] [LL = cod, (CO)₂, (CO, PR₃) (R = Ph, Cy or OPh), and (CO, AsPh₃); XR = OEt or NH^<i>n</i>Pr] were prepared, and the electronic effects of coligands and alkoxy vs aminocarbene substituents were investigated by spectroscopic and electrochemical methods. The molecular structures of complexes <b>1</b>, <b>2</b>, and <b>4</b>–<b>6</b> were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The use of the complexes <b>1</b>–<b>8</b> as homogeneous catalysts for the hydroformylation of 1-octene was demonstrated, and the influence of the carbene substituents and coligands on the activity and regioselectivity of the catalysts evaluated. Finally, the stability of the Rh–C_carbene bond of complex <b>1</b> under hydroformylation conditions was confirmed with ¹³C NMR experiments