One-pot mechanochemical hydrogenation and acetylation of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol and paracetamol

Abstract

The mechanochemical hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol was examined in a ball mill reactor. Hydrogen gas flows through the reactor at ambient temperature and pressure in the presence of Pd/C catalyst and acetic anhydride. Under optimized conditions, simultaneous hydrogenation and acetylation in one pot increased paracetamol selectivity by avoiding undesirable side reactions of 4-aminophenol. Side product formation was further reduced through a novel bubbler configuration allowing for the delivery of acetic anhydride vapor to the reaction vessel. Ball mill results were compared to traditional stirred tank hydrogenations in a Parr reactor and shown to have superior yield and process mass intensity.