CrossRef enabled

PAC Archives

Archive →

Pure Appl. Chem., 2012, Vol. 84, No. 3, pp. 473-484

http://dx.doi.org/10.1351/PAC-CON-11-07-15

Published online 2012-01-06

Phosgene-free synthesis of 1,3-diphenylurea via catalyzed reductive carbonylation of nitrobenzene*

Andrea Vavasori* and Lucio Ronchin

Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Dorsoduro 2137, 30123 Venice, Italy

Abstract: 1,3-Diphenylurea (DPU) has been proposed as a synthetic intermediate for phosgene-free synthesis of methyl N-phenylcarbamate and phenyl isocyanate, which are easily obtained from the urea by reaction with methanol. Such an alternative route to synthesis of carbamates and isocyanates necessitates an improved phosgene-free synthesis of the corresponding urea. In this work, it is reported that Pd(II)-diphosphine catalyzed reductive carbonylation of nitrobenzene in acetic acid (AcOH)-methanol proceeds in high yield and selectivity as a one-step synthesis of DPU. We have found that the catalytic activity and selectivity of this process depends on solvent composition and on the bite angle of the diphosphine ligands. Under optimum reaction conditions, yields in excess of 90 molar % and near-quantitative selectivity can be achieved.
*Pure Appl. Chem. 84, 411–860 (2012). A collection of invited papers for the IUPAC project 2008-016-1-300 “Chlorine-free Synthesis for Green Chemistry”.