Selective telomerisation of isoprene with methanol by a heterogeneous palladium resin catalyst

Abstract

High catalytic activity for the telomerisation of isoprene with methanol with an unusual regioselectivity towards tail-to-tail telomerisation products was achieved with a heterogeneous (DVB-resin-PPh₃-Pd-dvds) catalyst synthesised by supporting palladium-(dvds) on a commercial triphenylphosphine–divinylbenzene resin, with potential for continuous operation. The high activity is a function of the presence of the (dvds) ligand while the regioselectivity is attributed to the combination of (dvds) and PPh₃ ligands associated with the palladium centre. The loss of activity upon recycling the catalyst is due to the loss of associated (dvds) ligand during reaction and during the recycle process.