Patent ID: 7569709

Claim:
A process for carbonylation of a compound having the formula: where R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are the same or different and are each selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a carbon-containing group, a fluorine containing group, a heterocyclic compound residue, an oxygen-containing group, a nitrogen-containing group, a boron-containing group, a sulfur-containing group, a phosphorus-containing group, a silicon-containing group, and two or more of these can be bonded to each other to form a ring or rings; said process comprising the steps of reacting compound (I) with carbon monoxide under a pressure up to 125 psi, in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of a catalyst (D), described below, to yield a beta-lactone where the catalyst (D) has the formula: where R 7 and R 16 are each a hydrogen atom, a carbon-containing group containing 1-30 carbon atoms, a heterocyclic compound residue, an oxygen-containing group, a nitrogen-containing group, a boron-containing group, a sulfur-containing group, a phosphorus-containing group, or a silicon-containing group; where R 17 , R 18 , R 19 , R 20 , R 21 , R 22 , R 23 , R 24 , R 25 , R 26 , R 27 and R 28 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a carbon-containing group containing 1 to 30 carbon atoms, a heterocyclic compound residue, an oxygen-containing group, a nitrogen-containing group, a boron-containing group, a sulfur-containing group, a phosphorus-containing group, a silicon-containing group, and two or more of R 7 , R 16 , R 17 , R 18 , R 19 , R 20 , R 21 , R 22 , R 23 , R 24 , R 25 , R 26 , R 27 and R 28 can be bonded to each other to form a ring or rings; and where L is a Lewis base, which can be absent, and if present, each L is the same or different and is selected from the group consisting of ethers, thioethers, esters, amines, pyridines, phosphines, phosphites, nitriles and carbenes.