Abstract

Reported here are the influence of the reaction conditions variation (carbon monoxide pressure, P(CO), rhodium content, [Rh], and temperature) on the catalytic reduction of . nitrobenzene to aniline by [Rh(COD)(2-pic)2](PF6) (COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene, 2-pic = 2picoline) immobilized on poly(4-vinylpyridine) in contact with 80 % aqueous 2-ethoxyethanol under water-gas shift reactions conditions (RDGA, CO + H2O = CO 2 + H 2). The turnover frequencies for the production of aniline displayed a first order dependence on the pressure of CO in the 0 -1.9 atm range, a nonlinear dependence on rhodium content on the 0.9 12.2 wt. % range indicating that the active species have different nuclearities. The temperature dependence followed a segmented Arrhenius plot in the 70-130 °C ranges. These data are discussed in terms of a possible mechanism.