Homogeneous hydrogenation of maleic anhydride to succinic anhydride catalyzed by Rh complex catalyst

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Abstract

Hydrogenation of maleic anhydride using various homogeneous transition metal complex catalyst system has been investigated. It was observed that RhCl(PPh3)3 was the most active catalyst precursor for the hydrogenation of maleic anhydride to succinic arthydride. The optimum ligand and solvent were PPh3 and ethylene glycol dimethylether, respectively. The effects of PPh3:Rh mole ratio, temperature and pressure of H2 have been studied. The typical experimental conditions are: temperature, 353-383 K; pressure of H2, 0.5-2.5 MPa; PPh3:RhCl(PPh3)3, 0-16; RhCl(PPh3)3, 0.03 mmol; maleic anhydride, 20 mmol; volume of liquid, 8 ml; reaction time, 30-360 min. Under these experimental conditions, succinic anhydride was the only product, and the highest yield (99.0%) was obtained. A reasonable reaction mechanism is proposed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)129-133
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Molecular Catalysis A: Chemical
Volume138
Issue number2-3
DOIs
StatePublished - 5 Feb 1999
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Homogeneous hydrogenation
  • Maleic anhydride
  • Rh complex
  • Succinic anhydride

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