Catalysis research at BASF is characterized by a focus on organometallic chemistry closely coupled with process engineering. The strength of this approach will be demonstrated using selected examples: i) an efficient 3-step route to L-menthol starting from citral has been developed and is presently being realized. A continuous asymmetric hydrogenation was developed for the first step. It has proved possible to correlate many of the key observations in process development with the behavior of the catalyst system at a molecular level. ii) A process for hydrogenating CO2 to formic acid is also being developed. The key to success in this case has been the development of a new concept which combines an efficient recycling of the active ruthenium catalyst with the isolation of formic acid. This can be achieved using a carefully matched combination of solvent, amine and catalyst and by exploiting the properties and phase behaviour of these components.

Homogeneous catalysis: A view from BASF

245th National Meeting (2013)

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