Reduction of nitroarenes to aromatic amines with sodium borohydride in the presence of selenium and actived carbon

Abstract

A selenium and actived carbon (AC) catalyst has been applied for the selective reduction of nitroarenes to their corresponding amines respectively using sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as a reducing source under mild conditions. Under the optimized conditions, efficient and selective reduction of nitroarenes into the corresponding aromatic amines occurred over a recyclable selenium catalyst. The catalyst can be easily recovered after catalytic reaction and readily reused for 4 cycles with consistent activity hence reduces the cost of the catalyst.