The aerobic oxidative coupling of aniline is an effective process for producing aromatic
azo compounds, which are widely used in the organic chemical industry. The development
of heterogeneous catalysts for this reaction would be advantageous because of their
recyclability and convenience in posttreatment. In this work, one-dimensional Mn(OH)2 nanostructure with various shapes were synthesized through the adjustment of various
surfactants. The as-synthesized Mn(OH)2 nanobelts and nanowires showed superior catalytic activity in the activation of oxygen
and aniline. Aromatic azo compounds with a variety of substituents were produced through
the coupling of the corresponding anilines without additives under ambient conditions.
Key words
anilines - azo compounds - heterogeneous catalysis - manganese hydroxide - nanobelts
- nanowires