Ru-catalysed domino hydroformylation / hydrogenation / esterification using imidazole ligands

1. A process comprising the process steps of:

a) initially charging an ethylenically unsaturated compound;

b) adding a ligand of formula (I):

A

wherein

R 1 is selected from: —(C 1 -C 12 )-alkyl, —(C 6 -C 12 )-cycloalkyl, —(C 6 -C 20 )-aryl or —(C 5 -C 20 )-heteroaryl,

wherein the —(C 6 -C 12 )-cycloalkyl radical, the —(C 6 -C 20 )-aryl radical and the —(C 5 -C 20 )-heteroaryl radical, each may have substituents which are selected from: —(C 1 -C 12 )-alkyl, —O—(C 1 -C 12 )-alkyl;

R 2 and R 3 are selected from: —(C 1 -C 12 )-alkyl, —(C 6 -C 12 )-cycloalkyl, —(C 6 -C 20 )-aryl;

wherein the —(C 6 -C 12 )-cycloalkyl radical and the —(C 6 -C 20 )-aryl radical, may have substituents which are selected from: —(C 1 -C 12 )-alkyl, —O—(C 1 -C 12 )-alkyl;

and a compound comprising Ru;

c) adding an acid (II) having the formula (IIa) or (IIb):

wherein R 4 is —(C 1 -C 18 )-alkyl;

wherein R 5 is —(C 1 -C 18 )-alkyl;

d1) feeding in CO;

e) heating the reaction mixture from a) to d) to convert the ethylenically unsaturated compound directly into an ester or diester of acid (II) without isolation of intermediates.

2. The process according to claim 1 ,

wherein the ethylenically unsaturated compound is selected from: ethene, propene, 1-butene, cis- and/or trans-2-butene, isobutene, 1,3-butadiene, 1-pentene, cis- and/or trans-2-pentene, 2-methyl-1-butene, 3-methyl-1-butene, 2-methyl-2-butene, hexene, tetramethylethylene, heptene, 1-octene, 2-octene, di-n-butene, or mixtures thereof.

3. The process according to claim 1 ,

wherein R 1 is selected from: —(C 1 -C 12 )-alkyl, —(C 6 -C 20 )-aryl or —(C 5 -C 20 ) -heteroaryl.

4. The process according to claim 1 ,

wherein R 2 and R 3 are —(C 3 -C 12 )-cycloalkyl.

5. The process according to claim 1 ,

wherein the compound comprising Ru is selected from: Ru 3 (CO) 12 , RuCl 3 *H 2 O, Ru(Cl) 2 (DMSO) 4 , Ru(acac) 3 .

6. The process according to claim 1 ,

wherein R 4 is —(C 1 -C 12 )-alkyl.

7. The process according to claim 1 ,

wherein R 5 is —(C 1 -C 12 )-alkyl.

8. The process according to claim 1 , comprising the additional process step d2):

d2) feeding in H 2 .

9. The process according to claim 8 ,

wherein the H 2 pressure is in the range from 1 MPa (10 bar) to 6 MPa (60 bar).

10. The process according to claim 1 ,

comprising the additional process step d3):

d3) adding H 2 O.

11. The process according to claim 10 ,

wherein H 2 O is added in an amount such that the molar ratio of H 2 O to the ethylenically unsaturated compound is in the range from 1:1 to 10:1.

12. The process according to claim 1 ,

comprising the additional process step d4):

d4) adding para-toluenesulfonic acid.

13. The process according to claim 1 ,

wherein the acid (II) is added in process step c) in an amount such that the molar ratio of acid to the ethylenically unsaturated compound is in the range from 2:1 to 10:1.

14. The process according to claim 1 ,

wherein the acid (II) has the formula (IIa).

15. The process according to claim 1 ,

wherein the ligand in process step b) is selected from: