Thioglycerol-Stabilized Rhodium Nanoparticles in Biphasic Medium as Catalysts in Multistep Reactions

Small rhodium nanoparticles (ca. 3.5 nm) were prepared by the decomposition of an organometallic precursor under hydrogen pressure in glycerol using 1-thioglycerol as stabilizer. Full characterization in the solid state [HR-TEM, EDX, XPS] showed a fcc structure for the Rh⁰/Rh^I nanoparticles capped with thiolate ligand. Reduction of different functionalities, including nitro groups and imines, was applied to tandem reductive amination of aldehydes with primary and secondary amines, and to the synthesis of N-substituted anilines from nitrobenzene. In addition, thiolate-capped RhNPs could be recovered and reused up to 5 runs without loss of activity nor selectivity.