General Construction of Amine via Reduction of N=X (X = C, O, H) Bonds Mediated by Supported Nickel Boride Nanoclusters

Amines play an important role in synthesizing drugs, pesticides, dyes, etc. Herein, we report on an efficient catalyst for the general construction of amine mediated by nickel boride nanoclusters supported by a TS-1 molecular sieve. Efficient production of amines was achieved via catalytic hydrogenation of N=X (X = C, O, H) bonds. In addition, the catalyst maintains excellent performance upon recycling. Compared with the previous reports, the high activity, simple preparation and reusability of the Ni-B catalyst in this work make it promising for industrial application in the production of amines.

Modulated electronic structure of Pd nanoparticles on Mg(OH)2 for selective benzonitrile hydrogenation into benzylamine at a low temperature

Pd nanoparticles with enriched electronic density anchored on Mg(OH)2 realize selective benzonitrile hydrogenation to benzylamine at low temperature in the absence of additives, in an atom-economical and green approach for synthesis of highly value-added primary amines.

Tuning the Reactivity of a Heterogeneous Catalyst using N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands for C-H Activation Reactions

We report the dramatic impact of the addition of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) on the reactivity and selectivity of heterogeneous Ru catalysts in the context of C-H activation reactions. Using a simple and robust method, we prepared a series of new air-stable catalysts starting from commercially available Ru on carbon (Ru/C) and differently substituted NHCs. Associated with C-H deuteration processes, depending on Ru/C-NHC ratios, the chemical outcome can be controlled to a large extent. Indeed, tuning the reactivity of the Ru catalyst with NHC enabled: 1) increased chemoselectivity and the regioselectivity for the deuteration of alcohols in organic media; 2) the synthesis of fragile pharmaceutically relevant deuterated heterocycles (azine, purine) that are otherwise completely reduced using unmodified commercial catalysts; 3) the discovery of a novel reactivity for such heterogeneous Ru catalysts, namely the selective C-1 deuteration of aldehydes.

Efficient and selective hydrogenation of benzonitrile to benzylamine: improvement on catalytic performance and stability in a trickle-bed reactor

The hydrogenation of benzonitrile with a high benzylamine yield of 86% is accomplished over a Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst in a trickle-bed reactor.

Tunable Heterogeneous Catalysis: N-Heterocyclic Carbenes as Ligands for Supported Heterogeneous Ru/K-Al2O3 Catalysts To Tune Reactivity and Selectivity

Here we report, for the first time, an extensive characterization of an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-modified supported heterogeneous catalyst. The existence of the metal-carbene bond could be proven by (13)C-SS-NMR experiments. Furthermore, it could be shown that the modification with NHCs does not structurally change the catalyst itself. The effect of the nature and the loading of the NHC on the activity and selectivity of the heterogeneous catalyst is presented by a hydrogenation study, finally leading to an NHC-enabled tunable heterogeneous catalyst for chemoselective hydrogenation.

The role of hydrogen during Pt–Ga nanocatalyst formation

The behavior and role of hydrogen is investigated by using Pt–Ga nano-alloy formation as a probe reaction.