Rhodium catalysed hydroformylation of alkenes using highly fluorophilic phosphines

Highly fluorophilic phosphines incorporating at least one aromatic ring containing two directly attached perfluoroalkyl groups have been synthesised, their partition coefficients (organic phase : fluorous phase) measured and their electronic properties probed using (1) J(PtP) data for their trans-[PtCl2L2] complexes. These phosphines have been used as modifying ligands for the rhodium catalysed hydroformylation of 1-octene in perfluorocarbon solvents. Catalyst activity, regioselectivity and the levels of rhodium leaching to the product phase vary with the substitution patterns of the modifying ligands that do not correlate with the electronic properties or partition coefficients of these ligands, but can be interpreted in terms of differences in the resting states of the catalysts.