Selenium‐Catalyzed Reduction of Aromatic Nitro Compounds to Amines by CO/H₂O in the Presence of Triethylamine

Abstract

Reductions with components of water gas (CO/H 2 O) can be catalyzed by selenium; thus nitroarenes are transformed in the presence of metallic selenium and triethylamine into arylamines. H 2 Se may plausibly be assumed as the reaction species. In a control experiment, nitrobenzene and H 2 Se underwent quantitative conversion (under N 2 ) into aniline. equation image