Supported Au-Ni nano-alloy catalysts for the chemoselective hydrogenation of nitroarenes

A modified two-step approach was developed for the synthesis of uniform and highly dispersed Au-Ni alloy nanoparticles on a silica support. The supported Au-Ni alloy nanoparticles were investigated for the chemoselective hydrogenation of substituted nitroarenes, which showed a strong synergistic effect between Au and Ni. The best catalyst was AuNi3/SiO2 that afforded a selectivity to 3-vinylaniline of 93.0% at a 3-nitrostyrene conversion of 90.8% after 70 min under mild conditions.