Evaluation of Organoselenium Based Compounds as Co‐Catalysts in Rhodium‐Catalyzed Hydroformylation

Abstract Herein we report the synthesis of new organoselenium compounds and their evaluation as co‐catalysts in rhodium‐catalyzed hydroformylation. Simple low molecular weight selenium compounds as well as more complicated organoselenium phosphites with a high structural diversity were involved in the study. Some of the new structures (e. g. phosphites) were related to well established mono‐ and bi‐dendate phosphorus ligands commonly used in hydroformylation. In the catalytic trials in most cases serious inhibition effects were observed due to the presence of the selenium additive. Moreover, our results show that selena compounds may differ in the behavior in comparison to other chalcogenides such as oxygen or sulfur.