Hydrogenation of chloronitrobenzenes over Pd and Pt catalysts supported on cationic resins

Liquid phase hydrogenation of chloronitrobenzene isomers (x-CNB x = 2, 3, 4) to the corresponding chloroanilines (x-CAN) at mild reaction conditions (0.6 MPa, 25°C, diethyl ether-methanol as solvents) over palladium and platinum catalysts containing 1 mass % of metal on trimethylammonium functionalized poly{styrene-co-divinylbenzene} (Dowex-D) was studied. The average selectivities to x-CAN over Pd/D-Cl and Pd/D-OH catalysts were 72 % and 42 %, respectively, at the x-CNB conversion of about 80 %. The average selectivities of 81 % and 84 % were achieved using Pt/D-Cl and Pt/D-OH, respectively, at the x-CNB conversion of approximately 90 %, whereas the average starting reaction rates were 1.2 × 10−3 mol g−1 s−1 and 2.6 × 10−3 mol g−1 s−1 (hydrogen consumption rate per mass of platinum), respectively. Under similar reaction conditions, using palladium catalysts supported on a resin with anionic groups anchored to polymeric chains at the average reaction rate equal to 3.8 × 10−3 mol g−1 s−1 (hydrogen consumption rate per mass of palladium), the selectivities from 85 % (2-CAN and 3-CAN) to 95 % (4-CAN) were achieved (Kratky et al., 2002).