Hydroformylation of olefins over a novel active rhodium catalyst supported on a melamine–cyanuric acid co-crystal

Hydroformylation, or oxo synthesis, is one of the most important industrial petrochemical processes involving homogeneous catalysts. The development of efficient and stable phosphorus-free heterogeneous catalytic systems for this process is of great interest because it can solve the problem of separation and recycling of expensive metals and reduce the amount of phosphorus-containing waste. Macromolecular compounds containing triazine rings can be promising candidates for supports for the stabilization of metal nanoparticles and subsequent use in heterogeneous catalytic reactions. Herein, it was shown that the interaction of cyanuric chloride with melamine produces cyanuric acid–melamine (CAM) co-crystal, which was used as a support for stabilizing rhodium nanoparticles. The obtained catalyst (CAM/Rh) exhibits high activity and stability in the hydroformylation of olefins of various structures. After completion of the reaction, the catalyst is easily separated from the reaction mixture and can be used repeatedly with virtually no loss of activity.