Hydrogenation of Substituted Benzenes Containing Nitro and Azo Groups over Skeletal Nickel in Aqueous Solutions of 2-Propanol

An analysis is made of the kinetic characteristics of the hydrogenation of 4-nitro- and 2-nitro-2'-hydroxy-5'-methylazobenzenes, 4-nitroaniline and 4-aminoazobenzene over skeletal nickel in neutral azeotropic 2-propanol-water mixture and in the same solvent in the presence of acetic acid or sodium hydroxide. It is found that the selectivity of the hydrogenation of these isomers to the intermediate products depends on the composition and nature of the solvent, and is determined by the rate of reactive group conversion. Compared to the process in the presence of sodium hydroxide, which suppresses the route leading to the predominant hydrogenation of the nitro group, the contribution from the transformation of azo group is considerably greater in the hydrogenation of 4-nitro-2'-hydroxy-5'-methylazobenzene in the presence of acetic acid. Adding a base to the solvent during the hydrogenation of 2-nitro-2'-hydroxy-5'-methylazobenzene accelerates the rate of nitro group conversion and the intramolecular cyclization of the intermediate compound, increasing the selectivity towards the products containing the benzotriazole cycle (particularly 2-(2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)benzotriazole-N-oxide). The almost linear correlation between the selectivity of the catalytic hydrogenation of isomers of nitro-2'-hydroxy-5'-methylazobenzene and the kinetic characteristics of the hydrogenation of nitro and azo groups in compounds containing a single reactive substituent at different values of medium's pH is estimated.