| abstract |
New phosphites (I), with alkylaryl, arylaryl and/or condensed aryl groups, have 1, 2 or 3 o-substituted and optionally 1 or 2 m- and/or p-substituted aryl groups. New phosphites of formula (I), with alkylaryl, arylaryl and/or condensed aryl groups, have 1, 2 or 3 o-substituted and optionally 1 or 2 m- and/or p-substituted aryl groups; P(O-R 1>)(O-R 2>) y(O-R 3>) z(O-R 4>) p (I) R 1>an aromatic group with a 1-18 carbon (C) alkyl, an aromatic substituent or a condensed aromatic system in the o-position to the oxygen (O) atom linking the phosphorus (P) atoms to the aromatic system; R 2>a similar aromatic group substituted in the m-position; R 3>a similar aromatic group substituted in the p-position; R 4>an aromatic group with a different substituent in the o-, m- or p-position and a hydrogen (H) atom in the o-position; x : 1 or 2; y, z, p : 0, 1 or 2; (x+y+z+p) : 3 Independent claims are also included for: (a) new transition metal complexes (II) with (I) as ligand; (b) the preparation of (I); (c) the preparation of (II); (d) the addition of hydrogen cyanide to an olefinic double bond in the presence of (II) as catalyst; and (e) the isomerization of organic nitriles in the presence of (II) as catalyst. |