High performance of nitrogen-doped carbon-supported cobalt catalyst for the mild and selective synthesis of primary amines

Abstract

A nitrogen-doped carbon-supported Co catalyst (Co/N-C-800) was discovered to be highly active for the reductive amination of carbonyl compounds with NH3 and the hydrogenation of nitriles into primary amines using H2 as the hydrogen source. Structurally diverse carbonyl compounds were selectively transformed into primary amines with good to excellent yields (82.8–99.6%) under mild conditions. The Co/N-C-800 catalyst showed comparable or better catalytic performance than the reported noble metal catalysts. The Co/N-C-800 catalyst also showed high activity for the hydrogenation of nitriles, affording the corresponding primary amines with high yields (81.7–99.0%). An overall reaction mechanism is proposed for the reductive amination of benzaldehyde and the hydrogenation of benzonitrile, which involves the same intermediates of phenylmethanimine and N-benzylidenebenzylamine. Keywords: Nitrogen-doped carbon, Co catalysts, Primary amines, Reductive amination, Hydrogenation, Nitriles