Carbonylation and Related Reactions

This chapter describes the basic mechanisms and other details of a few industrial carbonylation processes. The carbonylation of propyne in methanol to give methyl methacrylate (MMA) was commercialized by Shell. Methanol can be carbonylated to give acetic acid by using metal complexes of cobalt or rhodium or iridium as catalysts. The chapter shows carbonylation of alcohols such as ethanol and n‐propanol with cobalt, rhodium, and iridium catalysts. With propanol and higher alcohols, the product is found to have both the linear and the branched isomer. The basic difference between methanol carbonylation and methyl acetate carbonylation lies in the organic part of the catalytic cycle. The polymer of MMA is known as Perspex. A hydrocarboxylation‐type reaction of alkenes and alkynes with CO 2 , using a homogeneous catalyst, is another avenue for the potential utilization of CO 2 .