Homogeneous catalysts have broad application prospects in the field of organic synthesis. my country’s research has made new progress

​​​​According to different catalytic reactions, catalysts can be divided into two types: homogeneous catalysts and heterogeneous catalysts. Homogeneous catalysis means that the reactants and catalyst are in the same phase and the reaction proceeds without phase boundaries. Homogeneous catalyst refers to a catalyst that can perform homogeneous catalysis. Homogeneous catalysts have the advantages of high selectivity, high activity, mild reaction conditions, high hydrogenation efficiency, and fast reaction speed. They are widely used in the fields of energy conversion, organic synthesis, and material synthesis.

Homogeneous catalysts are usually based on soluble compounds, including palladium acetate, rhodium iodide, palladium chloride, rhodium carbonyl, rhodium chloride, triphenylphosphine rhodium carbonyl, etc. Platinum group metals such as palladium, rhodium, and platinum are the core raw materials of homogeneous catalysts. The main producing areas of platinum group metals in my country are concentrated in Heilongjiang, Sichuan, Gansu, Yunnan, Hebei and other places. After years of experience accumulation, my country’s platinum group metal production has continued to increase, but the market is still in short supply. Against this background, the market price of homogeneous catalysts in my country continues to rise.

According to the “2023-2028 China Homogeneous Catalyst Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report released by the Industrial Research Center, Homogeneous catalysts have excellent performance and are widely used. In the field of organic synthesis, homogeneous catalysts can be used in synthesis reactions such as the direct oxidation of ethylene to produce acetaldehyde and the carbonylation of methanol to acetic acid. Driven by downstream demand, the global homogeneous catalyst market continues to grow, reaching US$9.36 billion in 2022, accounting for 25% of the catalyst market. In the future, with in-depth research and technological advancement, the development space of the homogeneous catalyst industry will be further expanded.

​ ​ ​ ​ Major global manufacturers of homogeneous catalysts include Germany’s BASF AG (BASF), Germany’s KWH Company, Denmark’s Haldor-Topsoe, etc. The main manufacturers of homogeneous catalysts in my country include Xi’an Kaili New Materials Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Kaida Catalytic Metal Materials Co., Ltd., Guiyan Platinum Co., Ltd., etc. Kaili New Materials has three major types of production lines: homogeneous precious metal catalysts, heterogeneous precious metal catalysts, and precious metal recovery, separation and purification. It is a representative enterprise of homogeneous catalysts in my country.

In recent years, attracted by market prospects, my country’s enthusiasm for research and development of homogeneous catalysts has continued to rise, and many new developments have been made. In June 2023, the scientific research team of Fan Qinghua from the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, successfully prepared a series of chiral cyclic alcohols and cyclic ketones using palladium-carbon heterogeneous catalysts and homogeneous chiral diamine-ruthenium catalysts. This preparation method has high yields and finished products. Good quality and other advantages.

Industry analysts said that homogeneous catalysts, as catalyst subdivision products, have broad application prospects in the field of organic synthesis and will be accompanied by downstream demand in the future. Gradually released, its industry development space will be further expanded. Compared with overseas developed countries, my country’s homogeneous catalyst industry started late and its market share is low. It is expected that in the future, with the improvement of technological maturity, the development speed of my country’s homogeneous catalyst industry will further accelerate.