Highly organic phase soluble polyisobutylene-bound cobalt phthalocyanines as recyclable catalysts for nitroarene reduction

•A new highly soluble polyisobutylene supported cobalt phthalocyanine complex was synthesized.•This CoMPc was shown to be a homogeneous catalyst for nitroarene reduction.•This CoMPc catalyst could be separated from products by liquid/liquid separation.•This CoMPc catalyst was recyclable with very low leaching and no loss in reactivity.

A cobalt phthalocyanine (CoMPc) containing covalently linked polyisobutylene (PIB) groups as phase anchors that is both highly soluble in nonpolar organic solvents and phase selectively soluble in a liquid/liquid separation step is shown to be an effective recyclable homogeneous catalyst for nitroarene reduction in a semi-thermomorphic system. Electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents in the nitroarene are tolerated in this aniline synthesis and the catalyst is recyclable up to 10 cycles with little leaching and no detectable loss in reactivity after 10 cycles.

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