Patent ID: 7094919

Claim:
A produces for the preparation of a nitro-substituted aromatic carboxylic acid ester comprising the step of: reacting a nitro-substituted aryl halide, in the absence of water and oxygen, with carbon monoxide and an alcohol in the presence of a metal catalyst and a proton acceptor to form a corresponding nitro-substituted aromatic carboxylic acid ester, wherein: said aryl group of said nitro-substituted aryl halide is a substituted or unsubstituted, monocyclic or polycyclic aryl group or heteroaryl group containing at least one heteroatom of N, O, or S; said carbon monoxide is present at a pressure of 14.7-1100 psi; said alcohol is a linear or branched, substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 5 alkyl alcohol; said proton acceptor is a tertiary amine base; and said metal catalyst is heterogeneous catalyst of palladium metal deposited on activated carbon present in an amount of between about 1 weight percent and 500 weight percent based on said nitro-substituted aryl halide.