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Updated: Jun 25, 2025

Continuous Flow Chemistry: Reaction of Diphenyldiazomethane with p-Nitrobenzoic Acid
Published on: November 15, 2017
Copper-Catalyzed Continuous-Flow Transfer Hydrogenation of Nitroarenes to Anilines: A Scalable and Reliable Protocol
Katia Martina1, Maria Jesus Moran1, Maela Manzoli1
1Drug Science and Technology Department and NIS-Interdepartmental Centre for Nanomaterials for Industry and Sustainability, University of Turin, via Pietro Giuria 9, 10125 Turin, Italy.
Abstract:
A robust supported catalyst that is made up of copper nanoparticles on Celite has been successfully prepared for the selective transfer hydrogenation of aromatic nitrobenzenes to anilines under continuous flow. The method is efficient and environmentally benign thanks to the absence of hydrogen gas and precious metals. Long-term stability studies show that the catalytic system is able to achieve very high nitrobenzene conversion (>99%) when working for up to 145 h. The versatility of the transfer hydrogenation system has been tested using representative examples of nitroarenes, with moderate-to-excellent yields being obtained. The packed bed reactor (PBR) permits the use of a setup that can provide products via simple isolation by SPE without the need for further purification. The recovery and reuse of either EG or the ion-exchange resin leads to consistent waste reduction; therefore, E-factor distribution analysis has highlighted the environmental efficiency of this synthetic protocol.
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