A homogeneous catalyst made of poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-N-vinylpyrrolidone)-Pd(0) complex for hydrogenation of aromatic nitro compounds

Poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-N-vinylpyrrolidone)(VPy-co-NVP) and its palladium complex (VPy–NVP–Pd) were prepared. The palladium complex was used as catalyst for the hydrogenation of some nitroaromatics. The molar content of VPy units in VPy-co-NVP was determined as 31.25% by ¹H NMR. VPy–NVP–Pd can be easily resolved in ethanol forming a homogeneous catalytic hydrogenation system together with substrates. The optimum catalytic activity for hydrogenation of nitrobenzene appeared when VPy/Pd molar ratio was 2. The catalytic behavior of the catalyst was found to be greatly affected by the type and concentration of added alkalies. The highest hydrogenation rate for nitrobenzene was found in a 0.1 mol/l ethanol solution of potassium hydroxide. The catalytic stability was examined by using nitrobenzene and 4-nitroanisole as substrates.