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Chemistry · Glossary

What is Carbonylation?

Definition 21.4 University Chemistry — Year 3 · Chapter 21 — Homogeneous Catalysis in Industry

Carbonylation is the introduction of a carbonyl group into a molecule by reaction with carbon monoxide, catalysed by a metal complex through the migratory insertion of CO.

The carbonylation cycle of methanol for M = Rh (Monsanto); valence electron counts in brackets, metal oxidation state I at the top, III elsewhere. With rhodium the oxidative addition of methyl iodide is rate-determining. With iridium (Cativa) it is much faster, the migratory insertion is slow, and promoters that remove one iodide from [CH3Ir(CO)2I3]- speed up the insertion.
The carbonylation cycle of methanol for M=Rh\mathrm M = \mathrm{Rh} (Monsanto); valence electron counts in brackets, metal oxidation state I at the top, III elsewhere. With rhodium the oxidative addition of methyl iodide is rate-determining. With iridium (Cativa) it is much faster, the migratory insertion is slow, and promoters that remove one iodide from [CHX3Ir(CO)X2IX3]X−\ce{[CH3Ir(CO)2I3]-} speed up the insertion.
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