Intrinsic kinetics of catalytic hydrogenation of 2-nitro-4-acetylamino anisole to 2-amino-4-acetylamino anisole over Raney nickel catalyst

The catalytic hydrogenation of 2-nitro-4-acetylamino anisole(NMA) is a less-polluting and efficient method to produce 2-amino-4-acetamino anisole(AMA). However, the kinetics of catalytic hydrogenation of NMA to AMA remains obscure. In this work, the kinetic models including power-law model and Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson(LHHW) model of NMA hydrogenation to AMA catalyzed by Raney nickel catalyst were investigated. All experiments were carried out under the elimination of mass transfer resistance within the temperature range of 70–100 °C and the hydrogen pressure of 0.8–1.5 MPa. The reaction was found to follow 0.52-order kinetics with respect to the NMA concentration and 1.10-order kinetics in terms of hydrogen pressure. Based on the LHHW model, the dual-site dissociation adsorption of hydrogen was analyzed to be the rate determining step. The research of intrinsic kinetics of NMA to AMA provides the guidance for the reactor design and inspires the catalyst modification.