Since its discovery in 1938, hydroformylation has been thoroughly investigated and broadly applied in industry. However, the ability to precisely control its regioselectivity with well-established Rh- or Co-catalysts has thus far proven elusive, thereby limiting access to many synthetically valuable aldehydes (such as isobutanal). Pd-catalysts represent an appealing alternative, yet their use remains sparse due to undesired side-processes.

Based on our exhaustive mechanistic studies of Pd-catalyzed hydrocarbonylation reactions, we developed the highly selective β-hydroformylation of functionalized alkenes and alkynes (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 18251).

Based on the gained mechanistic understanding, we devised the first example of the commercially desirable but elusive isoselective hydroformylation of short-chain aliphatic alkenes, such as propylene (EP21315257 patent application; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e2021164). The technology is at the maturation stage conducted in collaboration with SATT Conectus, a Technology Acceleration Transfer Company dedicated to collaborative research and technology transfer from public research laboratories to the market.