Shvo-Catalyzed Hydrogenation of CO in the Presence or Absence of Ionic Liquids for Tandem Reactions.

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been widely used in transition metal-catalyzed processes, but the precise behavior of ILs and catalysts in these reactions is unknown. Herein, the role of ILs and the interaction pattern between Shvo's catalyst and ILs have been revealed with characterization by H NMR and crystallography based on the catalytic hydrogenation of CO. ILs promote the dissociation of Shvo's catalyst and enhance the rate of production of CO. The CO that is produced is subsequently used in the tandem hydroformylation-reduction of alkenes to produce valuable alcohols. In the absence of ILs, formamides can be obtained by -formylation of most primary or secondary amines.