Highly selective cobalt-catalyzed hydrovinylation of styrene

Phosphine complexes of cobalt halide salts activated by diethylaluminum chloride are shown to yield highly active catalysts in the hydrovinylation of styrene, with unprecedented high selectivity to the desired product 3-phenyl-1-butene (3P1B). Double-bond isomerization, a common problem in codimerization reactions, only occurs after full conversion with these catalyst systems, even at elevated temperature. The most active catalysts are based on cobalt halide species combined with either C1- or C2-bridged diphosphines, heterodonor P,N or P,O ligands, flexible bidentate phosphine ligands or monodentate phosphine ligands. Kinetic investigations show an order >1 in catalyst, which indicates either the involvement of dinuclear species in the catalytic cycle or partial catalyst decomposition via a bimolecular pathway.