Abstract: | A palladium complex of silica-supported chitosan has been found to catalyze the hydrogenation of p-, m- and o-chloronitrobenzene, and of 4-chloro-1,3-dinitrobenzene to p-, m- and o-chloroaniline, and 4-chloro-3-aminoaniline in 100% yield, respectively, at room temperature and under atmospheric pressure, and the side reaction, dechlorination, has not been observed. This catalyst was very stable, the turnover numbers (p-chloronitrobenzene to p-chloroaniline cycles / palladium atom) reached 9000 in 17 hours. |