Supported ionic liquid catalysis--a new concept for homogeneous hydroformylation catalysis.

The new concept of supported ionic liquid catalysis involves the surface of a support material that is modified with a monolayer of covalently attached ionic liquid fragments. Treatment of this surface with additional ionic liquid results in the formation of a multiple layer of free ionic liquid on the support. These layers serve as the reaction phase in which a homogeneous hydroformylation catalyst was dissolved. Supported ionic liquid catalysis combines the advantages of ionic liquid media with solid support materials which enables the application of fixed-bed technology and the usage of significantly reduced amounts of the ionic liquid. The concept of supported ionic liquid catalysis has successfully been used for hydroformylation reactions and can be further expanded into other areas of catalysis.