Synthesis Strategies towards Tagged Homogeneous Catalysts to Improve Their Separation.

Abstract

The recycling of homogeneous catalysts while keeping them in the homogeneous matrix is an ongoing challenge many reactions face if they are to take the step into industrial application. While a plethora of different synthetic approaches towards better, recyclable homogeneous catalysts exist, the literature shows a gap when one searches for a concise overview of the different catalyst modifications. This review is designed to close that gap by summarising the existing synthesis pathways towards polar, non-polar, fluorous, and molecular-weight-enlarged catalysts and examining their respective synthesis routes with a focus on modular and late-stage approaches. Furthermore, we map out the potential for a generally applicable tag library that allows straightforward catalyst modifications to tune them for each desired recycling strategy.