Recoverable Catalysts Noncovalently Bound to a Hyperbranched Polyelectrolyte

Polyelectrolytes with Ph2P(C6H4-p-SO3-) counterions were prepared by ion exchange from hyperbranched polycations with a polyglycerol-based polyether scaffold and 1,2-dimethylimidazolium end groups. Upon exposing a mixture of the polyelectrolyte with [Rh(acac)-(CO)2] in DMSO-d6 to 1 atm CO/H2, a large portion of the rhodium precursor is converted to [(phosphine)3Rh(H)(CO)]. Hydroformylation of 1-hexene in methanol as a model reaction proceeds with moderate activities at 80°C, 30 bar CO/H2. The polyelectrolyte-bound catalyst was recovered by ultrafiltration and reused up to three times