PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF ANILINES SUBSTITUTED IN THE META-POSITION(S) BY CHLORINE

"PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF ANILINES SUBSTITUTED IN THE META-POSITION(S) BY CHLORINE" A process for the preparation of anilines substituted in the meta-position(s) by chlorine by the catalytic hydrogenation, in the liquid phase, under the action of heat and under pressure, in the presence of a noble metal from Group VIII of the Periodic Table of the Elements of an aniline or nitrobenzene derivative of the general formula: < IMG > (I) (wherein Y represents the hydrogen atom or the oxygen atom, X' and X'' each represent a chlorine or hydrogen atom, or an optionally substituted alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy or aralkoxy radical, at least one of X' and X'' representing a chlorine atom, and R', R'' and R''' each represent a chlorine or hydrogen atom, or an optionally substituted alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alkoxy or aryloxy radical, at least one of the three symbols R', R'' and R''' representing a chlorine atom) characterised in that the reaction is carried out in an essentially anhydrous medium in the presence of a catalytic amount of at least one Lewis acid as catalyst. The meta-chloroaniline products are useful in the manufacture inter alia of plantprotection products.