Organic reaction in water. Part 5.
Abstract
Nitroarenes can be reduced in high yields to the corresponding anilines using zinc metal and NH4Cl in water without any organic solvent at 80 °C with a simple procedure at low cost. The procedure is powerful enough to reduce sterically hindered 2,6-dimethylnitrobenzene and is chemoselective for nitro groups; ester, amide and halide substituents on aromatic rings are unaffected.