Intermetallic Rh3Sn2 Catalysts for Selective Hydrogenation of Functionalized Nitroarenes to Aromatic Ammonia

Abstract

AbstractThe selective reduction of functionalized nitroarenes to aniline is a promising strategy to produce industrially vital aniline intermediates, while achieving high selectivity is challenging. Here, we reported the synthesis of structurally ordered Rh3Sn2 intermetallic catalysts that exhibited a high selectivity of 95.1 % in the hydrogenation of 4‐nitrostyrene to 4‐aminostyrene. Density functional theory calculation reveals that the adsorption of nitrostyrene through the nitro group on Rh3Sn2 (110) surface are great improved with the addition of the Sn atom. In addition, a significant electronic effect is formed between Rh and Sn by charge transfer that makes the Rh3Sn2 intermetallic compound more favorable for the hydrogenation of nitro group.