ZnAl-Hydrotalcite-Supported Au₂₅ Nanoclusters as Precatalysts for Chemoselective Hydrogenation of 3-Nitrostyrene

Chemoselective hydrogenation of 3-nitrostyrene to 3-vinylaniline is quite challenging because of competitive activation of the vinyl group and the nitro group over most supported precious-metal catalysts. A precatalyst comprised of thiolated Au₂₅ nanoclusters supported on ZnAl-hydrotalcite yielded gold catalysts of a well-controlled size (ca. 2.0 nm)-even after calcination at 500 °C. The catalyst showed excellent selectivity (>98 %) with respect to 3-vinylaniline, and complete conversion of 3-nitrostyrene over broad reaction duration and temperature windows. This result is unprecedented for gold catalysts. In contrast to traditional catalysts, the gold catalyst is inert with respect to the vinyl group and is only active with regard to the nitro group, as demonstrated by the results of the control experiments and attenuated total reflection infrared spectra. The findings may extend to design of gold catalysts with excellent chemoselectivity for use in the synthesis of fine chemicals.