Kinetics and Mechanism of Nitrile Hydration Catalyzed by Unhindered Hydridobis(phosphine)platinum(II) Complexes. Regioselective Hydration of Acrylonitrile

摘要

The reaction between trans-PtHCl(PR3)2(R = Me and Et) and 1 equiv of NaOH in 50-50 water/acetonitrile solutions yields a species that catalyzes the hydrolysis of acetonitrile to acetamide at rates of 178 and 70 mol/(mol of catalyst h) for the R = Me and Et derivatives, respectively, at 80 C. These catalysts remain active for days and give as many as 6000 turnovers.