PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF CARBOXYLIC ACIDS OR OF ESTERS THEREOF

Abstract: Process for the preparation of carboxylic acids or of esters thereof by contacting an olefinically unsaturated compound with CO in the presence of water or an alcohol, respectively, and of a catalytic system prepared by combining a ruthenium compound and a compound having a non-coordinating anion of an acid with a pK a below 0.5; and catalytic systems comprising a ruthenium compound and a salt having a non-coordinating anion of an acid of a pK a below 0.5.

Description: The invention relates to a process for the preparation of carboxylic acids or of esters thereof. The invention also relates to a novel composition. U.S. patent specification 3,168,553 discloses a process in which olefins are carbonylated in the presence of a complex comprising a trialkylphosphine together with cobalt, ruthenium, rhodium or iridium. However, this process requires the use of high pressures, and its selectivity towards the desired product is often unsatisfactory. For instance, the carbonylation of ethylene in the presence of ethanol and CO₂(CO)₈ as the catalyst leads to the formation not only of ethyl propionate, but also of large quantities of by-products, such as diethyl ketone and acetaldehyde. It has now surprisingly been found that carboxylic acids or esters thereof are formed at a very high selectivity at relatively low pressure by contacting an olefinically unsaturated compound with carbon monoxide in the presence of water or an alcohol, respectively, and in the presence of a ruthenium compound and a compound defined more closely hereinafter. The invention therefore provides a process for the preparation of carboxylic acids or of esters thereof which process comprises contacting an olefinically unsaturated compound with carbon monoxide in the presence of water or an alcohol, respectively, and of a catalytic system which may be prepared by combining the following components: component (a) ― a ruthenium compound, and component (b) ― a compound having a non-coordinating anion of an acid with a pK a , measured at 25°C in aqueous solution, below 0.5. The selectivity to a certain compound, expressed in a percentage, is defined herein as 100 × c: d in which "c" is the amount of starting olefinically unsaturated compound that has been converted into that certain compound and "d" is the total amount of starting olefinically unsaturated compound that has been converted. It is a feature of the present invention that the catalytic system is very stable and, therefore, can be used for a long time: no plating out of metallic ruthenium has been observed. Replacement of component (a) with a palladium compound would result in plating out of metallic palladium. EP-A-105704 discloses a carbonylation process using palladium catalysts, wherein either oxygen addition or incremental Cu(II) addition is practised preventing palladium reduction. However, this process requires high palladium concentrations for achieving unsatisfactory reaction rates. The acids have a non-coordinating anion, by which is meant that little or no co-valent interaction takes place between the ruthenium and the anion. Component (b) preferably comprises a compound having an anion of sulphuric acid, of a sulphonic acid or of an acid that can be formed by interaction of a Lewis acid with a Broensted acid, which formation may take place in-situ. Examples of such Lewis acids are BF₃, AsF₅, SbF₅, PF₅, TaF₅ and NbF₅ and examples of such Broensted acids are hydrohalogenic acids, in particular HF and HCl. Component (b) in particular comprises a compound having an anion of trifluoromethanesulphonic acid [CF₃SO₂(OH)], of tetrafluoroboric acid (HBF₄) or of hexafluorophosphoric acid (HPF₆). Other examples of component (b) are compounds having an anion of perchloric acid (HClO₄), fluorosilicic acid (H₂SiF₆), fluorosulphonic acid [SO₂(OH)F] and chlorosulphonic acid [SO₂(OH)Cl]. The compound having a non-coordinating anion of an acid with a pK a below 0.5 may be a salt or an acid; component (b) may be a mixture of such a salt and such an acid. The salts used as component (b) may have a great variety of cations. Very good results have been obtained with cations of transition metals, particularly zinc and copper. Very good results have also been obtained with uranyl salts. Components (a) and (b) may be the same, i.e. when the ruthenium compound has a non-coordinating anion, as is the case with Ru(PF₆)₃. Examples of suitable ruthenium compounds are ruthenium oxides and ruthenium salts of acids having a non-coordinating anion as specified hereinbefore. Very good results have been obtained with ruthenium tris acetylacetonate. The quantity of component (a) used may vary within wide ranges and is generally in the range between 10⁻⁶ and 10⁻¹ and preferably between 10⁻⁵ and 10⁻² gram-atom ruthenium per mol starting olefinically unsaturated compound. The quantity of component (b) may also vary within wide ranges; component (b) is preferably present in a quantity in the range of from 0.1 to 100 and particularly from 0.5 to 20 equivalents per gram-atom of ruthenium. The process according to the present invention may be carried out at a temperature and a pressure which are not critical and may vary within wide ranges. The process is preferably carried out at a temperature in the range of from 100°C to 250°C and a pressure in the range of from 5 to 200 bar, but temperatures above or below said range or pressures above or below said range may also be used. The olefinically unsaturated compound may be an unsubstituted or a substituted alkene or cycloalkene preferably having 2-30, and in particular 2-20, carbon atoms and preferably 1-3 double bonds. The alkene or cycloalkene may be substituted, for instance, with one or more halogen atoms or cyano, ester, alkoxy, hydroxy, carboxy or aryl groups. If the substituents are not inert under the reaction conditions, the carboxylation reaction may be accompanied with other reactions. For instance, the carbonylation of allyl alcohol is accompanied with esterification of the hydroxy group. Examples of suitable olefinic compounds are ethene, propene, 1-butene, 2-butene, isobutene, the isomeric pentenes, hexenes, octenes and dodecenes, cyclooctadiene-(1,5), cyclododecene, cyclododecatriene-(1,5,9), allyl alcohol, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, acrylonitrile, acrylamide, N,N-dimethylacrylamide, vinyl chloride, allyl chloride, acrolein, oleic acid, methyl allyl ether and styrene. The alcohols used in the process according to the invention may be aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aromatic and may be substituted with one or more substituents, such as mentioned hereinbefore in connection with the olefinically unsaturated compounds to be used as starting material. The alcohol may therefore also be a phenol. The alcohols preferably contain not more than 20 carbon atoms. Examples of suitable alcohols are methanol, ethanol, propanol, isobutanol, tert.butyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, cyclohexanol, allyl alcohol, chlorocapryl alcohol, ethylene glycol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, 1,6-hexanediol, phenol and cresol. Special preference is given to alkanols having in the range of from 1 to 10 carbon atoms per molecule. If the alcohol has more than one hydroxy group, different products may be formed, depending on the molar ratios existing between the reagents. For instance, depending on the quantity of olefinically unsaturated compound used, either a mono-ester or a di-ester may be produced from glycerol. The process may be carried out in the simultaneous presence of water and an alcohol, in which case a carboxylic acid and an ester are simultaneously formed. The process according to the present invention is particularly suitable for the preparation of methyl propionate, starting from ethylene, carbon monoxide and methanol, methyl propionate being an important solvent. In the process according to the invention the carbon monoxide may be used pure or diluted with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, noble gasses or carbon dioxide. Generally the presence of more than 10%v of hydrogen is undesirable. Generally preference is given to the use of carbon monoxide or a carbon monoxide-containing gas which contains less than 5%v of hydrogen. The molar ratio of the olefinically unsaturated compound to water or alcohol is not critical. The molar ratio between hydroxy groups and olefinic double bonds may lie for instance between 0.1: 1 and 10: 1. When using a mono-olefin and either water or a monohydric alcohol preference is usually given to the use of an excess of the hydroxy compound mentioned. However, when using a polyhydric alcohol to prepare a polyester, it will generally be necessary to use an excess of olefinic compound. The process according to the invention may be carried out batchwise, continuously or semi-continuously. Generally there is no need for the use of a solvent since usually there will be an excess of one of the reactants ― for instance the alcohol ― which may serve as a solvent as well. If required, however, a solvent may be used, for instance dimethyl sulphoxide, diisopropyl sulphone, tetrahydrothiophene 1,1-dioxide (also referred to as sulfolane), acetone, chloroform, methyl isobutyl ketone, diglyme (dimethyl ether of di-ethylene glycol) or diisopropyl ether. The primary reaction product of the carbonylation reaction may also be used as a solvent. The reaction mixtures obtained may be subjected to suitable catalyst and product separating means comprising one or more such steps, for example, as stratification, solvent extraction, distillation, fractionation or adsorption. The catalytic system as well as unconverted starting compounds or solvent, if any, may be recycled, in part or entirely, to the reaction zone. The novel composition referred to hereinbefore comprises the following components: component (a) ― a ruthenium compound, and component (b) ― a transition metal salt having a non-coordinating anion of an acid with a pK a , measured at 25°C in aqueous solution, below 0.5. The following Examples further illustrate the invention. The experiments were carried out in a 300 ml magnetically stirred Hastelloy C autoclave ("Hastelloy" is a trade mark). The reaction mixtures obtained were analyzed by means of gas-liquid chromatography. Examples 1-14 The autoclave was charged with methanol (50 ml, 1.23 mol), ruthenium(acetylacetonate)₃ (0.5 mmol) and a compound having an anion of an acid with a pK a below 0.5, flushed with carbon monoxide, sealed, charged with carbon monoxide until a partial pressure thereof of 25 bar was obtained, charged with ethylene until a partial pressure thereof of 25 bar was obtained and heated. After a reaction time of 5 h the autoclave was allowed to adopt ambient temperature and opened for analysis of the reaction mixture. Table 1 hereinafter shows for each of the Examples which compound having an anion of an acid having a pK a below 0.5 was used ― referred to as "component (b)" ―, in which amount this compound was used and the temperature to which the autoclave was heated. Table 1 also presents the reaction rates and the selectivities to methyl propionate. Comparative Experiments A-C These three experiments were carried out as described in Examples 1-14 with the exception of the replacement of component (b) mentioned in Table 1 with the compound having an anion of an acid with a pK a above 0.5; this compound and the temperature of the experiment are stated in Table 2. The selectivities to methyl propionate found in these experiments were considerably lower than these presented in Table 1 which resulted from examples where compounds having an anion of an acid with a pK a below 0.5 were applied. Comparative Experiment D Example 1 was repeated with the difference that no UO₂SO₄ was present. No reaction was observed. Example 15 Example 8 was repeated with the difference that also 0.5 mmol of 1,3-di(diphenylphosphino)propane was present. The reaction rate was 15 mol ethylene per gram-atom ruthenium per h and the selectivity to methyl propionate was 81%. Comparison with the results of Example 8 shows that reaction rate and selectivity are higher in the absence of 1,3-di(diphenylphosphino)propane. Example 16 The autoclave was charged with methanol (50 ml), ruthenium(acetylacetonate)₃ (0.5 mmol) and cupric hexafluorophosphate (2 mmol), flushed with carbon monoxide, sealed, charged with carbon monoxide until a partial pressure thereof of 40 bar was obtained, charged with propylene (30 ml) and heated to a temperature of 175°C. After a reaction time of 5 h the autoclave was allowed to adopt ambient temperature and opened for analysis of the reaction mixture. The reaction rate was 40 mol propylene per gram-atom ruthenium per h and the selectivity to the total methyl butyrate and methyl isobutyrate was 96% in a ratio of 58: 42, respectively. Example 17 The autoclave was charged with diglyme (40 mol), ruthenium(acetylacetonate)₃ (0.5 mmol), hexafluorophosphoric acid (1.5 mmol) and water (10 ml), flushed with carbon monoxide, sealed, charged with carbon monoxide until a partial pressure thereof of 25 bar was obtained, charged with ethylene until a partial pressure thereof of 25 bar was obtained and heated to a temperature of 160°C. After a reaction time of 5 h the autoclave was allowed to adopt ambient temperature and opened for analysis of the reaction mixture. The reaction rate was 65 mol ethylene per gram-atom ruthenium per h and the selectivity to propionic acid was 95%. Example 18 The autoclave was charged with water (50 ml), ruthenium(acetylacetonate)₃ (0.5 mmol) and cupric hexafluorophosphate (2 mmol), flushed with carbon monoxide, sealed, charged with carbon monoxide until a partial pressure thereof of 25 bar was obtained, charged with ethylene until a partial pressure thereof of 25 bar was obtained and heated to a temperature of 160°C. After a reaction time of 5 h the autoclave was allowed to adopt ambient temperature and opened for analysis of the reaction mixture. The reaction rate was 40 mol ethylene per gram-atom ruthenium per h and the selectivity to propionic acid was 90%. This example shows that water may be used as a solvent.

Claims: 1. A process for the preparation of carboxylic acids or of esters thereof which process comprises contacting an olefinically unsaturated compound with carbon monoxide in the presence of water or an alcohol, respectively, and of a catalytic system which may be prepared by combining the following components: component (a) ― a ruthenium compound, and component (b) ― a compound having a non-coordinating anion of an acid with a pK a , measured at 25°C in aqueous solution, below 0.5. 2. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which component (a) comprises ruthenium tris acetylacetonate. 3. A process as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which component (b) comprises a compound having an anion of sulphuric acid, of a sulphonic acid or of an acid that can be formed by interaction of a Lewis acid with a Broensted acid. 4. A process as claimed in claim 3 in which component (b) comprises a compound having an anion of trifluoromethanesulphonic acid, of tetrafluoroboric acid or of hexafluorophosphoric acid. 5. A process as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which component (b) is a salt of a transition metal. 6. A process as claimed in claim 5 in which the transition metal is zinc or copper. 7. A process as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which component (b) is present in a quantity in the range of from 0.1 to 100 equivalents per gram-atom of ruthenium. 8. A process as claimed in any one of the preceding claims which is carried out at a temperature in the range of from 100°C to 250°C and a pressure in the range of from 5 to 200 bar. 9. A process as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the olefinically unsaturated compound is an alkene having in the range of from 2 to 30 carbon atoms per molecule. 10. A composition comprising the following components: component (a) ― a ruthenium compound, and component (b) ― a transition metal salt having a non-coordinating anion of an acid with a pK a , measured at 25°C in aqueous solution, below 0.5.

Inventors: DRENT, EIT
Applicants: SHELL INTERNATIONALE RESEARCH MAATSCHAPPIJ B.V.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: C07C69
IPC codes: C07C53, C07C67, C07C69, C07C51, B01J31, C07B61