Highly chemoselective reduction of aromatic nitro compounds by copper nanoparticles/ammonium formate

A highly chemoselective reduction of aromatic nitro compounds to the corresponding amino derivatives has been achieved by a combination of copper nanoparticles and ammonium formate in ethylene glycol at 120 degrees C. The reductions are successfully carried out in presence of a wide variety of other reducible functional groups in the molecule, such as Cl, I, OCH2Ph, NHCH2Ph, COR, COOR, CN, etc. The reactions are very clean and high yielding.