Metal carbonyl chemistry. Part III. Iron pentacarbonyl as a hydroformylation catalyst

Iron pentacarbonyl is a poor hydroformylation catalyst, and gives only 17% conversion of ethylene to propionaldehyde and n-propanol under normal hydroformylation conditions. In the presence of traces of cobalt metal, or cobalt salts such as the carbonate or formate, it is an efficient hydroformylation catalyst giving conversions of ethylene, propene, and cyclohexene comparable to those obtained with dicobalt octacarbonyl as catalyst.