A Highly Active Nitrogen-Doped Mixed-Phase Mixed-Valence Cobalt Nanocatalyst for Olefins and Nitroarenes Hydrogenation

Abstract

Development of an inexpensive, environmentally friendly and robust recyclable heterogeneous catalyst for alkene and nitroarene hydrogenation is in high demand for the sustainable future of chemical industries. Herein, we have synthesize and characterized a trinuclear mixed valence cobalt complex 1 and nitrogen doped mixed phase cobalt (β-Co(OH)2 and CoO) nanocatalyst (N@MPCoNC) as reported earlier. N@MPCoNC was synthesized via single source molecular precursor by reducing 1 by aq. N2H4 followed by calcinations. Both mixed-valence cobalt metal complex (1) and nitrogen doped mixed phase cobalt nanocatalyst (N@MPCoNC) were utilized for alkenes and nitroarenes hydrogenation reaction, however excellent catalytic activity was noticed by N@MPCoNC with the 100 % conversion of styrene and 4-nitrotoluene to the corresponding ethylbenzene and 4-aminotoluene with 100 % selectivity under mild reaction condition. The scope of the heterogeneous N@MPCoNC was further evaluated for other alkenes and nitroarenes to obtain corresponding alkanes and aminoarenes with an excellent conversion and high selectivity at room temperature. © 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.