Reactivation of water-soluble hydroformylation catalysts

摘要

A process for regenerating a water-soluble hydroformylation catalyst system comprising a coupler rhodium hydrogen-carbonyl complex of rhodium and compounds of the formula I wherein Ar1 and Ar2 and Ar3 are individually phenyl or naphthyl, Y1, Y2 and Y3 are individually selected from the group consisting of alkyl and alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, -OH, -CN, -NO2 and R1R2N-, R1 and R2 are individually alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, X1, X2 and X3 are individually carboxylate (-COO-) or sulfonate (-SO3-), m1, m2 and m3 are individually integers of 0 to 3, at least one of m1, m2 or m3 being equal to or greater than 1, and n1, n2 and n3 are individually integers of 0 to 5 and if appropriate in excess comprising adding maleic acid, fumaric acid or olefinically unsaturated compounds of formula II wherein X is selected from the group consisting of O, S, - or and R3, R4 and R5 are individually hydrogen, or alkyl or aryl to an aqueous solution of the catalyst system in an amount sufficient to remove sulfonated or carboxylated alkyl-arylphosphanes.