Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Incorporated

Akio Iwamura

Hisamichi Murakami

Ichiro Okubo

1-Aminoanthraquinone of high purity is obtained either by catalytically hydrogenating 5-nitro-1,4,4a,9a-tetrahydroanthraquinone dissolved in a polar organic solvent such as methyl cellosolve (i.e., .beta.-hydroxyethyl methyl ether) in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst such as palladium on carbon or Raney nickel and then treating the resultant hydrogenated product with a base such as sodium hydroxide or pyridine, or by catalytically hydrogenating the 5-nitro-1,4,4a,9a-tetrahydroanthraquinone in the presence of both the hydrogenation catalyst and the base. By the action of the base, the 5-nitro-1,4,4a,9a-tetrahydroanthraquinone nucleus releases hydrogen atoms and is converted to the anthraquinone nucleus, and the released hydrogen serves to reduce the nitro group. Where an excess of hydrogen is introduced into the reaction system for hydrogenation, 1-aminoanthraquinone is further reduced into a leuco type compound thereof which can easily be returned to 1-aminoanthraquinone by oxidation.

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Fujisawa, Japan

Akio Iwamura