Phosphine-based catalysts useful for the telomerization of butadiene

A process to prepare 1-octene comprising the steps of

• (i) reacting 1,3-butadiene with a primary aliphatic alcohol or an aromatic hydroxyl compound having the formula
• R—H
• to form a 1-substituted-2,7-octadiene of the formula
• CH2═CH—CH2—CH2—CH2—CH═CH—CH2—R,
• in which R represents a residue of the primary aliphatic alcohol or the aromatic hydroxyl compound, in the presence of a catalyst composition comprising palladium and a phosphine ligand represented by any of the following formulas:
• R2 is H or R1, and each R3 is independently selected from H;
• linear, branched or cyclic C1-C20 alkyl, C6-C18 aryl, and C1-C20 alkoxy;
• C1-C20 dialkylamino;
• halogen;
• and trifluoromethyl;
• and
• (ii) subjecting the 1-substituted-2,7-octadiene formed in step (i) to hydrogenation in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst, to form a 1-substituted octane of the formula
• CH3—CH2—CH2—CH2—CH2—CH2—CH2—CH2—R;
• and
• (iii) decomposing the 1-substituted octane formed in step (ii) in the presence of a suitable catalyst to form 1-octene.