Montedison S.p.a.

Grazia Zassinovich

Giovanni Mestroni

Annamaria Camus

Enzo Alessio

A process is herein described for catalytically reducing nitroaromatic compounds by displacement of hydrogen from carbon monoxide and water or from synthesis gas to nitroaromatic compounds, the catalytic reduction being catalyzed by complexes of rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium; said process is characterized in that the CO+H.sub.2 O system or the (CO+H.sub.2)+H.sub.2 O system is caused to react with a nitroaromatic compound of formula:

Process for catalytically reducing nitroaromatic compounds

This invention relates to a process for the reduction of .alpha.-,.beta.-unsaturated linear homo- and heterocyclic ketones by a transfer of hydrogen from an alcohol donor to said unsaturated ketone. The alcohol donor must be unsubstituted or substituted with an inert group. Also the alcohol donor may be a primary or secondary alcohol or a glycol. The process is a catalytic one and is carried out in the presence of complexed iridium and rhodium catalysts of the following formulae: ##STR1## wherein: M is selected from Ir and Rh;

Process for the catalytic reduction of unsaturated ketones

Catalytic reduction of carbonyl compounds by transfer of hydrogen from alcohols to aliphatic, alicyclic, aromatic, homo- and heterocyclic ketones or aldehydes, catalyzed by rhodium or iridium complexes, characterized in that a primary or secondary alcohol of formula (I) or a glycol: ##STR1## is reacted with a ketonic compound of formula (II): ##STR2## in which R and R' and, respectively, R' and R'', optionally linked with each other according to homo- or heterocycles, indifferently represent a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbyl group having up to 30 atoms of carbon, also substituted, provided that at least one of symbols R' and/or R'' is different respectively from R and/or R', in the presence of a complex catalyst of rhodium or of iridium selected from those having formulas (III) and (IV): ##STR3## wherein: M is selected from Rh and Ir;

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Trieste, Italy

Grazia Zassinovich