ABSTRACT
The liquid-phase hydrogenation of alkylquinolines, 2-chloro and 2hydroxyquinoline, and alkylindoles under mild reaction conditions (T = 373 K, PH2 2.0 MPa) was investigated using a commercial Rh/Al2O3 (Rh 5 wt.%) catalyst and compared with the behaviour of quinoline and indole. Unlike quinoline, for which only a partial hydrogenation occurred, the alkylquinolines showed the formation of fully hydrogenated products, due to the presence of an alkyl side chain that avoided any deactivation effect. The nature and position of the substituent had a significant role. On the contrary, for the alkylindoles a negative effect related to the presence of electron-donating substituents on the carbocyclic ring was observed, with catalytic performances worse than those detected with the indole.
