Hydrogenation of Functionalized Nitroarenes Catalyzed by Single‐Phase Pyrite FeS2 Nanoparticles on N,S‐Codoped Porous Carbon

Catalytic hydrogenation of nitroarenes is an industrially very important and environmentally friendly process for the production of anilines; however, highly chemoselective reduction of nitroarenes decorated with one or more reducible groups in a nitroarene molecule remains a challenge. Herein, a novel hybrid non-noble iron-based nanocatalyst (named as FeS2 /NSC) was developed, which was prepared from biomass as C and N source together with inexpensive Fe(NO3 )3 as Fe source through high-temperature pyrolysis in a straightforward and cost-effective procedure. Comprehensive characterization revealed that single-phase pyrite FeS2 nanoparticles with precisely defined composition and uniform size were homogeneously dispersed on N,S-codoped porous carbon with large specific surface area, hierarchical porous channels, and high pore volume. The resultant catalyst FeS2 /NSC demonstrated good catalytic activity for hydrogenation of functionalized nitroarenes with good tolerance of various functional groups in water as a sustainable and green solvent. Compared with bulk pyrite FeS2 and other non-noble metal-based heterogeneous catalysts reported in the literature, a remarkably enhanced activity was observed under mild reaction conditions. More importantly, FeS2 /NSC displayed exclusive chemoselectivity for the reduction of nitro groups for nitroarenes bearing varying readily reducible groups.