Patent ID: 8779164

Claim:
A process to prepare 1-octene comprising the steps of (i) reacting 1,3-butadiene with a primary aliphatic alcohol or an aromatic hydroxyl compound having the formula R—H to form a 1-substituted-2,7-octadiene of the formula CH 2 ═CH—CH 2 —CH 2 —CH 2 —CH═CH—CH 2 —R, in which R represents a residue of the primary aliphatic alcohol or the aromatic hydroxyl compound, in the presence of a catalyst composition comprising palladium and a phosphine ligand represented by any of the following formulas: R 2 is H or R 1 , and each R 3 is independently selected from H; linear, branched or cyclic C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 6 -C 18 aryl, and C 1 -C 20 alkoxy; C 1 -C 20 dialkylamino; halogen; and trifluoromethyl; and (ii) subjecting the 1-substituted-2,7-octadiene formed in step (i) to hydrogenation in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst, to form a 1-substituted octane of the formula CH 3 —CH 2 —CH 2 —CH 2 —CH 2 —CH 2 —CH 2 —CH 2 —R; and (iii) decomposing the 1-substituted octane formed in step (ii) in the presence of a suitable catalyst to form 1-octene.