Homogeneous Catalytic Hydrogenation. 3. Selective Reductions of Polynuclear Aromatic and Heteroaromatic Nitrogen Compounds Catalyzed by Transitionmetal Carbonyl Hydrides*

The reductions of polynuclear aromatic and heteroaromatic nitrogen compounds with transition metal carbonyl catalysts (Fe, Mn, Co, Ru, W, Cr, Mo) under water gas shift (wgs) (CO, H 2 o, base) and snythesis gas (sg) (CO, H 2 , 1:1) conditions as well as strictly hydrogenation conditions (H 2 alone) were studied.It was found that under either wgs or sg conditions, the linear polynuclear aromatic compound anthracene was more reactive than the corresponding bent aromatic compounds such as phenanthrene.In coni ' .