Hydrogenation, of aromatics

The second example concerns catalytic hydrogenation of aromatic compounds such as benzene, toluene, xylenes, isopropyl benzene, and mesitylene, over a supported nickel catalyst [9,10]. The process is relevant for the production of aromatic-free fuels and solvents. The aromatic ring is hydrogenated in an exothermal reaction in which Rl, R2, and R3 

FIGURE 6.18 Kinetic results from the hydrogenation of aromatics. 

FIGURE 6.19 Diflfusional resistances inside the catalyst particle in the hydrogenation of aromatics (a) at the beginning and (b) at the end of the reaction. 

Ruthenium is the most selective metal to produce intermediate olefins. Certain catalyst additives and water100-102 increase the yield of cyclohexene from benzene up to 48% at 60% conversion.103 Alkylbenzenes are hydrogenated at somewhat lower rates then benzene itself. As a general rule the rate of hydrogenation decreases as the number of substituents increases, and the more symmetrically substituted compounds react faster than those with substituents arranged with less symmetry.9,10 Highly substituted strained aromatics tend to undergo ready saturation, even over the less active palladium. 

The intervention of olefin intermediates has significant effects on the stereochemistry of the hydrogenation of aromatics. Similarly to the reduction of alkenes, cis isomers are the main products during the hydrogenation of substituted benzenes, 

Aromatic hydrocarbons with two or more rings are hydrogenated in a stepwise manner permitting regioselective saturation of one of the rings. Individual metals have a marked influence on selectivity. Biphenyl, for example, is transformed to cyclohexylbenzene with 97% selectivity on palladium, which is the least active to catalyze saturation of benzene under mild conditions.11 12 Even better selectiv-ities are achieved in transfer hydrogenation.105 

Hydrogenation of 4-methylbiphenyl with platinum or palladium takes place predominantly in the unsubstituted phenyl ring 106 

On the other hand, hydrogenation with Raney nickel causes reduction mainly in the substituted aromatic ring [Eq. (11.16)]. Differences in product composition brought about by the different metals are explained in terms of steric hindrance of the substituted ring (Pt, Pd) versus the anchor effect of the methyl substituent (Ni).106 

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The catalyst is inactive for the hydrogenation of the (isolated) benzene nucleus and so may bo used for the hydrogenation of aromatic compounds containing aldehyde, keto, carbalkoxy or amide groups to the corresponding alcohols, amines, etc., e.g., ethyl benzoate to benzyl alcohol methyl p-toluate to p-methylbenzyl alcohol ethyl cinnamate to 3 phenyl 1-propanol. 

Hydrogenation (Section 11.16) Hydrogenation of aromatic rings is somewhat slower than hydrogenation of alkenes, and it is a simple matter to reduce the double bond of an unsaturated side chain in an arene while leaving the ring intact. 

A variety of catalysts including copper, nickel, cobalt, and the platinum metals group have been used successfully in carbonyl reduction. Palladium, an excellent catalyst for hydrogenation of aromatic carbonyls is relatively ineffective for aliphatic carbonyls this latter group has a low strength of adsorption on palladium relative to other metals (72,91). Nonetheless, palladium can be used very well with aliphatic carbonyls with sufficient patience, as illustrated by the difficult-to-reduce vinylogous amide I to 2 (9). 

Hydrogenation of aromatic nitro compounds is very fast, and the rate is limited often by the rate of hydrogen transfer to the catalyst. It is accordingly easy to use inadvertently more catalyst than is actually necessary. Aliphatic nitro compounds are reduced much more slowly than are aromatic, and higher catalyst loadings (6,11) or relatively lengthy reduction times may be... 

Hydrogenation of aromatics under mild conditions gives mainly the all-cis isomer as if hydrogen addition takes place from only one side of the molecule (23,24). Reductions under more vigorous conditions may give other isomers by isomerization of the initially formed all-cis product. Under mild conditions, other isomers are accounted for by desorption and readsorption in a new orientation of intermediate olefins, as well as by double-bond migration in the... 

Rhodium- and cobalt-catalyzed hydrogenation of butadiene and 1-hexene [47, 48] and the Ru-catalyzed hydrogenation of aromatic compounds [49] and acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymers [50] have also been reported to be successful in ionic liquids. 

Rate Constants k (mmole min g ) of Isolated Reactions, and Relative Reactivities S from Competitive Reactions Obtained in the Hydrogenation of Aromatic Hydrocarbons... 

If, for the purpose of comparison of substrate reactivities, we use the method of competitive reactions we are faced with the problem of whether the reactivities in a certain series of reactants (i.e. selectivities) should be characterized by the ratio of their rates measured separately [relations (12) and (13)], or whether they should be expressed by the rates measured during simultaneous transformation of two compounds which thus compete in adsorption for the free surface of the catalyst [relations (14) and (15)]. How these two definitions of reactivity may differ from one another will be shown later by the example of competitive hydrogenation of alkylphenols (Section IV.E, p. 42). This may also be demonstrated by the classical example of hydrogenation of aromatic hydrocarbons on Raney nickel (48). In this case, the constants obtained by separate measurements of reaction rates for individual compounds lead to the reactivity order which is different from the order found on the basis of factor S, determined by the method of competitive reactions (Table II). Other examples of the change of reactivity, which may even result in the selective reaction of a strongly adsorbed reactant in competitive reactions (49, 50) have already been discussed (see p. 12). 

Similar electrodes may be used for the cathodic hydrogenation of aromatic or olefinic systems (Danger and Dandi, 1963, 1964), and again the cell may be used as a battery if the anode reaction is the ionization of hydrogen. Typical substrates are ethylene and benzene which certainly will not undergo direct reduction at the potentials observed at the working electrode (approximately 0-0 V versus N.H.E.) so that it must be presumed that at these catalytic electrodes the mechanism involves adsorbed hydrogen radicals. 

We now illustrate the opposite case where the intermediate is in fact a highly undesirable substance, as it presents a health, or even explosion, hazard. The hydrogenation of aromatic nitro compounds, such as the one shown in Fig. 2.6, is industrially important for the production of dyes, whiteners, agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. The reaction occurs in the presence of a platinum catalyst and proceeds via intermediates, among which the hydroxylamine (-NHOH) species is particularly hazardous, as it is both carcinogenic and explosive. Unfortunately, standard platinum catalysts give rise to high levels of this undesired intermediate. 

Hydrotreating Removal of heteroatoms (S, N 0, Metals) and hydrogenation of aromatics ... 

Finally, hydrogenation of aromatic rings in synthetic or natural polymers such as polystyrene or lignin, respectively, is also investigated for various applications. The polystyrene hydrogenation process developed by Dow Plastics for media applications is an interesting example [7,8]. 

Hydrogenation of aromatic nitro compounds [8,18,29] and hydrogenation of benzene derivatives [2,9,21] have been generally accepted as model reactions to check the heterogeneous nature of catalyst, because homogeneous species are not believed to be active. But at least two well-studied examples show that molecular catalysts can hydrogenate benzene [36,37]. 

Hydrogenations of aromatic nitro compounds are important in industry. A nitro group can be easily introduced into a benzene ring and then hydrogenated to the amine. During the hydrogenation, a number of coupling and alkylation reactions are possible as depicted in Fig. 2.31. 

Studies of the hydrogenation of aromatic nitroso compounds have rarely been published. One of the earliest studies is the Pd/C catalyzed hydrogenation of p-nitrosothymol to its corresponding amine (100%) in ethanol at 1 atm hydrogen.289 Useful antioxidants and gasoline stabilizers are made from diamines, which can be produced by hydrogenating their relatively easily formed nitroso derivatives.290 As a result, the hydrogenation of 4-nitroso-diphenylamine has been studied more heavily than others.291-293... 

An example of the product distribution during hydrogenation is shown in Fig. 2.39. The main difference between hydrogenation of aromatic nitro and nitroso goups is that the nitroso group reacts rapidly with intermediate hydroxylamine to form side products (see Fig. 2.31), so their concentrations must be kept low to avoid this reaction.294... 

Silica-supported metal (e.g., Pd/Si02) catalysts also have surface silanol groups that can react with the alkoxysilane groups of the complexes. These combination catalysts consist of a tethered complex on a supported metal. A Rh complex was tethered to the surface of a Pd/Si02 catalyst, and the tethered catalyst was more active for the hydrogenation of aromatic compounds than the free complex or the supported catalyst separately.33 It is possible that the H2 is activated on the supported metal and the hydrogen atoms migrate to the silica, where they react with the reactant molecules coordinated by the tethered complex. 

Hu, A.G., Yee, G.T. and Lin, W.B. (2005) Magnetically recoverable chiral catalysts immobilized on magnetite nanopartides for asymmetric hydrogenation of aromatic ketones. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 127 (36), 12486-12487. 

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