Hydrogenation process of chlorinated nitrobenzene using nanosized boron-containing nickel catalysts

• Main Authors: CHEN, YU-WEN, HUANG, CHUNG-YIN, LIU, YUANG
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2007
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

This invention relates to the process of liquid phase hydrogenation of chloro-nitrobenzene to produce nitro-aniline. The catalyst used is a nanosized NiBx catalyst, where x is the atomic ratio of B to Ni, x is in the range of 0.2 <= x <= 0.9. It is prepared using nickel salt as the starting material, ethanol solution as solvent and boron-containing materials as the reducing agent at 25 DEG C. This catalyst has a diameter in the nanosize range, the diameter is less than 50 nm, it is amorphous, the specific surface area is greater than 20 m /g. The hydrogenation reaction is carried out in a slurry reactor. The solvent used is alcohol containing carbon number less than or equal to 4. The partial pressure of hydrogen is in the range of 5 and 40 atm. The reaction temperature is in the range of 40 and 150 DEG C. The NiBx catalyst is very active and selective for the hydrogenation of chloronitrobenzene. The selectivity to chloroaniline is greater than 99%.