Reductive cleavage of azo dyes and reduction of nitroarenes over trivalent iron incorporated hexagonal mesoporous aluminophosphate molecular sieves

A novel, efficient and eco-friendly iron incorporated hexagonal mesoporous aluminiphosphate (FeHMA) catalyst is put forward for the reductive cleavage of azo functions as well as for the reduction of nitroarenes, including larger molecules, by catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH). The results indicate that the transformations occur in elegant and rapid manner with excellent yields. Furthermore, the catalyst can easily be recovered and reused without practically affecting the yields for up to six cycles. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.