Nitrogen-doped carbon supported iron oxide as efficient catalysts for chemoselective hydrogenation of nitroarenes

Chemoselective hydrogenation has been widely used in the production of fine chemicals, and developing heterogeneous catalysts with high activity and chemoselectivity is always a challenging topic. Herein, we report a new type of catalysts synthesized from biomass-derived chitosan and non-noble iron, which is denoted as nitrogen-doped carbon supported iron (Fe/N-C). TEM and XRD characterization indicate the presence of iron species. Interestingly, the Fe/N-C catalysts exhibited excellent catalytic performances in the hydrogenation of nitroarenes, and excellent yields of target aniline products could be obtained under industrially viable conditions. Chemoselective hydrogenation has been widely used in the production of fine chemicals, and developing heterogeneous catalysts with high activity and chemoselectivity is always a challenging topic.