One pot synthesis of N-ethylaniline from nitrobenzene and ethanol

A novel method for the one pot synthesis of N-alkyl arylamines from nitro aromatic compounds and alcohols is proposed through the combination of the aqueous-phase reforming of alcohol for hydrogen production, the reduction of nitro aromatic compounds for the synthesis of aromatic amine and the N-alkylation of aromatic amine for the production of N-alkyl arylamine over an identical catalyst under the same conditions of temperature and pressure in a single reactor. In this process, hydrogen generated from the aqueous-phase reforming of alcohols was used in-situ for the hydrogenation of nitro aromatic compounds for aromatic amine synthesis, followed by N-alkylation of aromatic amine with alcohols to form the corresponding N-alkyl arylamines at a low partial pressure of hydrogen. For the system composed of nitrobenzene and ethanol, under the conditions of 413 K and PN2 = 1 MPa, the conversion degrees of nitrobenzene and aniline were 100%, the selectivity to N-ethylaniline and N, N-diethylaniline were 85.9% and 0%-4%, respectivity, after reaction for 8 h at the volumetric ratio of nitrobenzene:ethanol:water = 10:60:0. The selectivity for N, N-diethylaniline production is much lower than that through the traditional method. In this process, hydrogen and aromatic amines generated from the aqueous-phase reforming of alcohols and hydrogenation of nitro aromatic compounds, respectively, could be promptly removed from the surface of the catalyst due to the occurrence of in-situ hydrogenation and N-alkylation reactions. Thus, this may be a potential approach to increase the selectivity to N-alkyl arylamine.