Molecular weight enlargement - a molecular approach to continuous homogeneous catalysis

Molecular weight enlargement (MWE) is an attractive method for homogeneous catalyst recycling. Applications of MWE in combination with either catalyst precipitation or nanofiltration have demonstrated their great potential as a method for process intensification in homogeneous catalysis. Selected, recent advances in MWE in combination with catalyst recovery are discussed, together with their implication for future developments. These examples demonstrate that this strategy is applicable in many different homogeneously catalyzed transformations.