Mild and Selective Hydrogenation of Nitro Compounds using Palladium Nanoparticles Supported on Amino-Functionalized Mesocellular Foam

We present the utilization of a heterogeneous catalyst comprised of Pd nanoparticles supported on aminopropyl-functionalized siliceous mesocellular foam (Pd-0-AmP-MCF) for the selective hydrogenation of aromatic, aliphatic, and heterocyclic nitro compounds to the corresponding amines. In general, the catalytic protocol exclusively affords the desired amine products in excellent yields within short reaction times with the reactions performed at room temperature under ambient pressure of H-2. Moreover, the reported Pd nanocatalyst displayed excellent structural integrity for this transformation as it could be recycled multiple times without any observable loss of activity or leaching of metal. In addition, the Pd nanocatalyst could be easily integrated into a continuous-flow device and used for the hydrogenation of 4-nitroanisole on a 2.5 g scale, where the product p-anisidine was obtained in 95% yield within 2 h with a Pd content of less than 1 ppm.