An Efficient and Eco-friendly MoO₃–SiO₂ Solid Acid Catalyst for Electrophilic Aromatic Nitration with N₂O₅

摘要

Abstract Electrophilic aromatic nitration using N₂O₅ as a green nitrating agent catalyzed by MoO₃–SiO₂ under mild conditions has been described. A series of MoO₃–SiO₂ catalysts with varying MoO₃ loadings (5–20 mol%) were prepared by sol–gel technique and characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, BET and NH₃–TPD to study its surface properties. MoO₃–SiO₂ shows good catalytic activity and reusability for the nitration of alkyl and halogen aromatics giving high conversions, but less efficiency for the deactivated aromatics. Reactions conducted under non-acidic conditions using N₂O₅ makes the process safe and environmentally friendly.