Selective hydroformylation-hydrogenation tandem reaction of isoprene to 3-methylpentanal.

The hydroformylation of isoprene catalysed by rhodium phosphine complexes usually yields a broad mixture of the monoaldehydes, the isomeric methylpentenals, as well as the dialdehyde 3-methyl-1,6-hexandial. Under usual reaction conditions the products of a consecutive hydrogenation are only formed as minor by-products. Surprisingly we discovered now a selective auto-tandem reaction consisting of a hydroformylation and a hydrogenation step if a rhodium complex with the chelate ligand bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane is used as catalyst.