Highly effective Ru/CMK-3 catalyst for selective reduction of nitrobenzene derivatives with H₂O as solvent at near ambient temperature

At near ambient temperature, Ru nanoparticles entrapped in ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) CMK-3 show superior efficiency in the green reduction process of nitrobenzene and its derivatives with hydrazine monohydrate as a hydrogen donor using water as solvent. The Ru/CMK-3 catalyst exhibited much higher activity than a commercial Ru/C catalyst purchased from Alfa Aesar toward the reduction of nitrobenzene with hydrazine monohydrate under the same conditions. The interaction of Ru nanoparticles with CMK-3 and the mesoporous structure of CMK-3 OMCs might play important roles in determining the catalytic performance of the Ru/CMK-3 catalyst. In addition, the catalytic performance of the Ru/CMK-3 catalyst for the reduction of nitrobenzene was also compared using different hydrogen sources. Hydrazine monohydrate was found to be suitable as a hydrogen donor for the reduction of nitrobenzene and its derivatives. Compared with those obtained in the reduction of nitrobenzenes using 4.0 MPa hydrogen, the catalytic activity of the Ru/CMK-3 catalyst obtained using hydrazine monohydrate as hydrogen donor was much higher in most cases.