Synthesis of flow‐compatible Ru-Me/Al2O3 catalysts and their application in hydrogenation of 1-iodo-4-nitrobenzene

Abstract

The development of an active, selective, and long-term stable heterogeneous catalyst for the reductive hydrogenation of substituted nitrorarenes in continuous operation mode is still challenging. In this work, Ru based nanoparticles catalysts promoted with different transition metals (Zn, Co, Cu, Sn, or Fe) were supported on alumina spheres using spray wet impregnation method. The freshly prepared catalysts were characterized using complementary methods including scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and temperature programmed reduction (TPR). The hydrogenation of 1-iodo-4-nitrobenzene served as model reaction to assess the catalytic performance of the prepared catalysts. The addition of the promotor affected the reducibility of Ru nanoparticles as well as the performance of the catalyst in the hydrogenation reaction. The highest yield of 4-iodoaniline (89 %) was obtained in a continuous flow process using Ru-Sn/Al2O3. The performance of this catalyst was also followed in a long-term experiment. With increasing operation time, a catalyst deactivation occurred which could only briefly compensate by an increase of the reaction temperature.