IR study of the anchoring of hydridocarbonyl tris(triphenylphosphine)-rhodium(I) to crosslinked phosphinated polystyrenes

Abstract Attachment of RhH(CO)(PPh 3 ) 3 to polystyrene-CH 2 PPh 2 gels is accompanied initially by complete loss of CO and H ligands, yielding probably coordinatively unsaturated surface rhodium-phosphine cluster complexes. Prolonged interaction of these clusters with CO/H 2 gives rise to different types of supported Rh-carbonyl clusters, but no hydrido ligands. Only the first-mentioned species are active hydrogenation catalysts under mild conditions.