Chemical Research in Chinese Universities ›› 2014, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (2): 293-296.doi: 10.1007/s40242-014-3398-2

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Electrochemical Reduction of Nitrobenzene in Ionic Liquid BMImAc

ZHANG Yinxu, MAO Xinbiao, REN Shuying, MA Chunan   

  1. State Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry Synthesis Technology, College of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, P. R. China
  • Received:2013-09-24 Revised:2013-12-14 Online:2014-04-01 Published:2013-12-30
  • Contact: MA Chunan E-mail:science@zjut.edu.cn
  • Supported by:

    Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(No.2012CB722604) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.21076192).

Abstract:

Ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate(BMImAc), was used in the electrochemical reduction of nitrobenzene. The electro-reduction of nitrobenzene on platinum electrode was studied by cyclic voltammetry(CV), in situ Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy and constant-potential electrolysis. The experimental results show that electrochemical reduction process of nitrobenzene was controlled by diffusion, the main reduction product was azobenzen at -1.45 V, and the influences of scan rate and temperature on the electrochemical behaviors were obviously. A reduction mechanism of nitrobenzene in an ionic liquid was a probable ‘nitrobenzene→nitroso-benzene→azobenzene→aniline’ main reductive reaction route.

Key words: Nitrobenzene, BMImAc, Electro-reduction, In situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy