A Reusable Mesoporous Nickel Nanocomposite Catalyst for the Selective Hydrogenation of Nitroarenes in the Presence of Sensitive Functional Groups

The synthesis of aromatic amines from nitroarenes through hydrogenation is an industrially and academically important reaction. In addition, the employment of base metal catalysts in reactions that are preferentially mediated by rare noble metals is a desirable aim in catalysis and an attractive element-conservation strategy. Especially appealing is the observation of novel selectivity patterns with such inexpensive metal catalysts. Herein, we report a novel mesostructured Ni nanocomposite catalyst. It is the first example of a reusable Ni catalyst that is able to hydrogenate nitroarenes selectively to anilines in the presence of highly sensitive functional groups such as C=C bonds and nitrile, aldehyde, and iodo substituents.