One pot catalytic NO2 reduction, ring hydrogenation, and N-alkylation from nitroarenes to generate alicyclic amines using Ru/C-NaNO2

A report to produce alicyclic amines and subsequent N-alkylation with alcohols using Ru/C-NaNO2 catalyzed facile transformation of nitrobenzene was investigated. Effects of solvent, temperature, pressure, reaction time, and molar-ratio of substrate/catalyst on product composition were also studied. These mechanistic studies explain that nitrobenzene undergoes hydrogenation reaction in the following order; -NO2 reduction to -NH2, aromatic ring-hydrogenation to alicyclic, and from the reaction of alcohol to give N-alkylated amines. This investigation shed lights on possible application to polyurethane chemistry since these amines are used as important precursors for diisocyanates. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.