Kinetics of catalytic hydrogenation of 4-nitroaniline in aqueous solutions of propan-2-ol with acid or base additives

The effect of addition of acetic acid and sodium hydroxide to an aqueous azeotropic solution of propan-2-ol on the rate of 4-nitroaniline hydrogenation is studied. The base additive accelerates the apparent rate of nitro group reduction, while the presence of acetic acid slows the reaction rate. It is experimentally established that the rate of nitro group conversion calculated from the amount of reacted 4-nitroaniline exceeds the rate of hydrogen uptake from the gas phase in all of the studied solvents. Hydrogen bound by active sites of the catalyst surface is found to participate notably in the reactions. It is proved both experimentally and theoretically that strongly bound atomic forms of adsorbed hydrogen are most active in the reduction of the nitro group.