Organic reaction in water. Part 5.1 Novel synthesis of anilines by zinc metal-mediated chemoselective reduction of nitroarenes

Abstract

Nitroarenes can be reduced in high yields to the corresponding anilines using zinc metal and NH4Cl in water without any organic solvent at 80 °C with a simple procedure at low cost. The procedure is powerful enough to reduce sterically hindered 2,6-dimethylnitrobenzene and is chemoselective for nitro groups; ester, amide and halide substituents on aromatic rings are unaffected.