Amines are extremely important intermediates and end products of the chemical industry and are often obtained by hydrogenation of the corresponding nitro compounds or imines. A search of the literature reveals, that hydrogenation of nitro compounds catalyzed by well-defined molecular complexes in aqueous solutions is rare. One reason may line in the fact, that reduction of the function proceeds in one-electron steps, while many soluble hydrogenation catalysts act in the “oxidative addition of elimination of the product” cycles in which the central metal ion (formally) looses or gains two electrons at a time
