A study of the electrochemical reduction of nitrobenzene to p-aminophenol

The electrochemical reduction of nitrobenzene has been studied in aqueous organic solvents containing sulphuric acid. It is shown that the yield ofp-aminophenol and the maximum current density for the reaction is dependent upon the solvent, the cathode metal, the electrode potential, the concentration of acid and the rate of stirring of the catholyte. The changes of products would not be obvious from theI-E curves but it is possible to find conditions where the yield ofp-aminophenol is > 75% at a current density of 150 mA cm^–2.