Metal-Free Chemoselective Hydrogenation of Nitroarenes by N-Doped Carbon Nanotubes via In Situ Polymerization of Pyrrole

Chemoselective hydrogenation of nitroarenes to anilines is of great importance for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, and dyes. In this study, a series of metal-free N-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) have been prepared by the carbonization of in situ polymerized pyrrole on CNTs. The concentration of pyrrole, pyrolysis temperature, and the outside diameter of CNTs were investigated to improve the catalytic performance. As characterized by Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the optimal catalyst (NCNTs-800) possessed a unique structure doped with the same content of pyrrolic N and graphitic N. The activity and selectivity of NCNTs-800 have been evaluated for the selective hydrogenation of substituted nitroarenes. Highly selective hydrogenation of the nitro group of 12 different substrates has been achieved on NCNTs-800, even in the presence of a fragile iodo group. The hydrogenation reaction on N-doped CNTs from polypyrrole involved a mixture of different hydrogen species including nonpolar H radicals. In addition, stability and recyclability of NCNTs-800 have been tested.