The hydrogenation of nitrobenzene (NB) and ethyl-4-nitrobenzoate (NEE) over a Pd/carbon (1 wt % Pd)
catalyst has been studied using a new small-scale, pressure-resistant reaction calorimeter (CRC.v4) fitted
with an integrated infrared−attenuated total reflection (FT-IR−ATR) probe. This new calorimeter exploits
the principles of power compensation and heat balance in combination with IR spectroscopy and on-line
gas-uptake measurements. Thus, the reactions can be followed by three independent signals based on different
properties of the chemical components. It was shown that, in the temperature and pressure range studied, all
three simultaneous measurements of the NB hydrogenation can be described by a simple empirical kinetic
model. The presence of an electron acceptor substituent like that in NEE leads to a consecutive hydrogenation
with the accumulation of the corresponding hydroxylamine as an intermediate. The different information
content of the simultaneously measured signals allow a quantitative description of the hydroxylamine
accumulation. The calculated concentration profiles were confirmed by off-line high-pressure liquid
chromatography (HPLC) analysis. The same empirical kinetic model was used after appropriate expansion
for a consecutive reaction.