Nitro compounds aromatic, catalytic hydrogenation

The Zinin reduction is also usehil for the reduction of aromatic nitro compounds to amines in the laboratory. It requires no special equipment, as is the case with catalytic hydrogenations, and is milder than reductions with iron and acid. Usually ammonium or alkah sulfides, hydrosulftdes or polysulftdes are used as the reactant with methanol or ethanol as the solvent. 

The N,]S -dialkyl-/)-PDAs are manufactured by reductively alkylating -PDA with ketones. Alternatively, these compounds can be prepared from the ketone and -lutroaruline with catalytic hydrogenation. The /V-alkyl-/V-aryl- -PDAs are made by reductively alkylating -nitro-, -nitroso-, or /)-aminodipheny1 amine with ketones. The AijAT-dialkyl- PDAs are made by condensing various anilines with hydroquinone in the presence of an acid catalyst (see Amines-aromatic,phenylenediamines). 

Reduction of aryl nitro compounds (Section 22.9) The standard method for the preparation of an arylamine is by nitration of an aromatic ring, followed by reduction of the nitro group. Typical reducing agents include iron or tin in hydrochloric acid or catalytic hydrogenation. 

Amination of aromatic nitro compounds is a very important process in both industry and laboratory. A simple synthesis of 4-aminodiphenyl amine (4-ADPA) has been achieved by utilizing a nucleophilic aromatic substitution. 4-ADPA is a key intermediate in the rubber chemical family of antioxidants. By means of a nucleophibc attack of the anilide anion on a nitrobenzene, a o-complex is formed first, which is then converted into 4-nitrosodiphenylamine and 4-nitrodiphenylamine by intra- and intermolecular oxidation. Catalytic hydrogenation finally affords 4-ADPA. Azobenzene, which is formed as a by-product, can be hydrogenated to aniline and thus recycled into the process. Switching this new atom-economy route allows for a dramatic reduction of chemical waste (Scheme 9.9).73 The United States Environmental Protection Agency gave the Green Chemistry Award for this process in 1998.74... 

The traditional technique of reducing nitro compounds with iron powder in dilute acid (Bechamps-Brimmeyr reduction) continues to be used for nitro compounds that are adversely affected by the catalytic reduction method with hydrogen. The list of examples includes aromatic nitro compounds carrying halogen substituents, especially if these are attached in ortho or para position to the nitro group. The solution containing only a small amount of acid (such as acetic acid) is almost neutral and allows iron to precipitate as Fe304. 

Electrocatalytic hydrogenation has the advantage of milder reaction conditions compared to catalytic hydrogenation. The development of various electrode materials (e.g., massive electrodes, powder cathodes, polymer film electrodes) and the optimization of reaction conditions have led to highly selective electrocatalytic hydrogenations. These are very suitable for the conversion of aliphatic and aromatic nitro compounds to amines and a, fi-unsaturated ketones to saturated ketones. The field is reviewed with 173 references in [158]. While the reduction of conjugated enones does not always proceed chemoselectively at a Hg cathode, the use of a carbon felt electrode coated with polyviologen/Pd particles provided saturated ketones exclusively (Fig. 34) [159]. 

A number of authors measured the influence of ring substituents on the rate of catalytic reduction of aromatic nitro compounds by hydrogen (5-7,114,128). The series have been composed in such a way as to allow the Hammett correlations, but, with a single exception, scatter diagrams resulted. The successful case by Rflzicka and Santrochova 128) (series 102, 12 points, slopes for three different platinum catalysts 0.24, 0.34, and 0.92, respectively) differs from the others in the use of platinum catalysts, whereas the other authors worked with rhodium (4,5), palladium (5,114), ruthenium... 

Amination. A continuous process in which aliphatic and aromatic amines are produced by (1) high pressure, catalytic hydrogenation of nitro compounds (-NO2 or nitriles (-CN)) and (2) action of ammonia on a chloro- or hydroxy-compound. 

Formic acid, anhydrous (M.W. 46.03, m.p. 8.5°, b.p. 100.8°, density 1.22), or a 90% aqueous solution, is an excellent hydrogen donor in catalytic hydrogen transfer carried out by heating in the presence of copper [77] or nickel [77]. Also its salt with triethylamine is used for the same purpose in the presence of palladium [72, 73], Conjugated double bonds, triple bonds, aromatic rings and nitro compounds are hydrogenated in this way. 

Lithium aluminum hydride is a convenient reagent for reduction of nitro compounds, nitriles, amides, azides, and oximes to primary amines. Catalytic hydrogenation works also. Aromatic nitro compounds are reduced best by reaction of a metal and aqueous acid or with ammonium or sodium polysulfides (see Section 23-12B). Reduction of /V-substituted amides leads to secondary amines. 

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