Reduction of nitroarenes using carbon supported cobalt phosphide as a catalyst

Abstract

Catalysis has played an important role in various fields such as batteries, water splitting, environment protection, energy storage, chemical synthesis and many others in the past decades. An example is using catalyst in the field of hydrogenating nitroarenes. Nitroarenes hold great importance due to their use in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, dyes etc. This process of reduction usually requires harsh conditions. Moreover, in this work the target catalyst is cobalt phosphide whose synthesis usually requires not only high temperature and long hours but also an inert environment. So, in this thesis cobalt phosphide nanoparticles deposited on activated carbon (𝐶𝑜2𝑃/𝐶) are synthesized and used to selectively reduce nitroarenes by molecular hydrogenation. The synthesis of 𝐶𝑜2𝑃/𝐶 is through decomposition of the organic complex. A complex of Co-TPP was made via solution method which is then pyrolyzed to produce 𝐶𝑜2𝑃/𝐶. The characterization of the catalyst prepared was done using XRD, SEM, Raman, TEM, and FTIR. 𝐶𝑜2𝑃/𝐶 then effectively catalyzes the reduction of nitroarenes to amines in conditions that are mild.