Hydroformylation reactions with recyclable rhodium-complexed dendrimers on a resin.

Rhodium-complexed dendrimers supported on a resin were evaluated as catalysts for the hydroformylation of aryl olefins and vinyl esters. The results showed the reactions proceeded very efficiently at room temperature with excellent yields. Outstanding selectivity for the branched aldehydes was also observed in all cases. The dendritic catalysts can be recycled by simple filtration and reused even up to the tenth cycle without loss of activity and selectivity. These results represent a dramatic improvement over those previously described for rhodium-catalyzed (dendrimer and nondendrimer based) hydroformylation reactions.