ZIF-67 Derived Cobalt Catalysts for the Hydroformylation of Liquid Olefins

In this work, we described a general monometallic cobalt heterogeneous catalyst for the hydroformylation of olefins, achieving good yields and recyclability up to five times with no loss in catalytic activity. These catalysts were prepared through the pyrolysis of the well-defined metal–organic framework ZIF-67. The addition of steam during the pyrolysis did not affect the final phase composition of the cobalt particles; nonetheless, it resulted in an increase of the cobalt particle size and the partial removal of the carbonaceous matrix. The materials were extensively characterized by several techniques, and it was observed that the N-doped carbon matrix played a crucial role in terms of activity and stability. Different liquid olefins, including internal, terminal, and cyclic were successfully tested in our hydroformylation protocol. Aldehydes yields of 48%–77% for different liquid olefins were achieved with the optimal catalyst. No leaching of the active sites was observed over five catalytic cycles. The high stability of the catalyst is attributed to the presence of stabilizing nitrogen atoms bearing the cobalt sites.