ISSN 1017-2548(Print)
ISSN 2234-8530(Online)
Volume 38, Number 5
JKCSEZ 38(5)
October 20, 1994 

An activated catalyst prepared from a mixture of nickel nitrate hexahydrate with zinc in dry ethanol under reflux showed exceptional catalytic activity for the reduction of nitroarenes to the corresponding azoxy compounds exclusively in the presence of hydrazine monohydrate. However, when nickel nitrate hexahydrate was replaced by nickel chloride dihydrate with zinc, only the aminoarenes were formed in high yields. With unactivated catalyst, the reduction reaction from a mixture of nitroarenes, nickel nitrate or chloride, excess zinc and hydrazine monohydrate gave the corresponding azo, azoxy and amino compounds in much lower yields.