Amines were obtained in excellent yields by treatment of nitro compounds, at room temperature and atmospheric pressure , with carbon monoxide, ruthenium carbonyl as the metal catalyst, and benzyltriethylammonium chloride as the phase transfer catalyst in an aqueous baseorganic solvent system. In 1977, one of us described the application of phase transfer catalysis to the stoichiometric reduction of nitro compounds to anilines by triiron dodecacarbonyl in a nitrogen atmosphere'. It was later observed that the yields of aromatic amines were substantially lower when the deoxygenation was effected in an atmosphere of carbon monoxide3. We now wish to report that ruthenium carbonyl can catalyze the reduction of nitro compounds at room temperature and atmospheric pressure . Furthermore, as far as reactivity in a carbon monoxide or nitrogen atmosphere is concerned, the behavior of triruthenium dodecacarbonyl is the reverse of that of triiron dodecacarbonyl. Reaction of a nitroarene (1) with a catalytic quantity of ruthenium carbonyl, benzyltriethylammonium chloride as the phase transfer catalyst, sodium hydroxide (5N), benzene containing RNfl2 CO,RU~(CO)~~,~N NaOH,CsHB