Catalysis Letters, Vol.47, No.1, 43-46, 1997
Catalytic Conversions in Water .6. A Novel Biphasic Hydrocarboxylation of Olefins Catalyzed by Palladium Tppts Complexes (Tppts=p(C6H4-M-So3Na)(3))
Exceptionally high catalytic activities (TOF > 2500 h(-1)) have been achieved in the biphasic hydrocarboxylation of propene catalysed by water-soluble Pd/TPPTS complexes. The activity was even higher than that exhibited by organic-soluble Pd/PPh3 systems. This contrasts with the general perception that biphasic catalysis normally exhibits lower rates compared to analogous reactions in organic media. The hydrocarboxylation of 4-isobutylstyrene to ibuprofen and of styrene in a two-phase system is also reported.