Process for the carbonylation of epoxides

• US 20050014977A1
• Filed: 04/08/2004
• Published: 01/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: Drent, Eit, Ernst, Rene
• Application Number:
  US10/820,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20050014977A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 568/451
• CPC Class Codes: C07D 305/12 Beta-lactones
• CPC Class Codes: C07D 315/00 Heterocyclic compounds containing rings having one oxygen atom as the only ring hetero atom according to more than one of groups C07D303/00 - C07D313/00

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a process for the carbonylation of an epoxide by reacting it with carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalyst system containing two components, wherein the first component is a source of one or more metals selected from the group consisting of cobalt, ruthenium and rhodium, and the second component is a coordination complex of a tetrapyrrole compound with one or more of the metals belonging to the group consisting of groups IIIA and IIIB of the periodic system, lanthanides and actinides. The present invention also pertains a process for the preparation of a catalyst system.

Claims

1. A process for the carbonylation of an epoxide comprising reacting the epoxide with carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalyst system comprising two components, wherein the first component is a source of one or more metals selected from the group consisting of cobalt, ruthenium and rhodium, and the second component is a coordination complex of a tetrapyrrole compound with one or more of the metals belonging to the group consisting of groups IIIA and IIIB of the periodic system, lanthanides and actinides.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the metal of the first component is cobalt.

3. The process of claim 2, wherein the first component is a metal tetracarbonyl.

4. The process of claim 2, wherein the metal of the second component is aluminium.

5. The process of claim 2, wherein the tetrapyrrole compound is a porphyrine compound.

6. The process of claim 2, wherein the epoxide is selected from the group consisting of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide.

7. The process of claim 2, wherein the carbonylation is conducted in the presence of a solvent having an active hydrogen atom.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein the first component is a metal tetracarbonyl.

9. The process of claim 1, wherein the metal of the second component is aluminium.

10. The process of claim 1, wherein the tetrapyrrole compound is a porphyrine compound.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein the epoxide is selected from the group consisting of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide.

12. The process of claim 1, wherein the carbonylation is conducted in the presence of a solvent having an active hydrogen atom.

13. A process for the preparation of a catalyst system suitable for the carbonylation of epoxides, which process comprises the steps of:

(a) reacting a source of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of groups IIIA and IIIB of the periodic system, lanthanides and actinides with a tetrapyrrole compound; and

,

(b) reacting the product of step (a) with a source of at least one metal selected from the group of cobalt, ruthenium and rhodium.

14. The process of claim 13, wherein the metal of step (a) is aluminium, and wherein the tetrapyrrole compound is a porphyrine compound.

15. The process of claim 14, wherein the source of metal of step (b) is a cobalt tetracarbonyl sodium salt.

16. The process of claim 13, wherein the source of metal of step (b) is a cobalt tetracarbonyl sodium salt.