Novel catalysts for the carbonylation of methanol

Abstract

Rhodium(I) carbonyl complexes containing phosphino-thiolate and -thioether ligands are almost four times as active in catalysing the carbonylation of methanol to ethanoic acid as the previously known catalyst, [Rhl2(CO)2]–; the crystal structure of one procatalyst, [Rh(SC6H4PPh2)(CO)]2, is reported.