Facile Arene Hydrogenation under Flow Conditions Catalyzed by Rhodium or Ruthenium on Carbon

Abstract An efficient and practical protocol for the flow hydrogenation of aromatic rings was developed. The hydrogenation of a variety of aromatic compounds, such as benzene, furan, and pyridine derivatives, could be completed within only 20 s during a single pass through a catalyst cartridge containing 10 % rhodium on carbon (Rh/C) or 10 % ruthenium on carbon (Ru/C) under neutral conditions. The protocol was successfully applied to a 10 mmol scale reaction. Furthermore, the 10 % Rh/C and 10 % Ru/C did not deteriorate during the entire study.