Alumina catalyst with high density of medium acid sites for N-arylpyrrolidines synthesis

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The N-alkylation of amines with tetrahydrofuran (THF) to synthesize pyrrolidine compounds is an economic and environmental benign route. However, current catalytic system often suffered from harsh reaction condition and hazardous reagents. In this work, we developed an alumina nanosheet catalyst with a large amount of medium acid sites for synthesis of N-arylpyrrolidines. Nearly 100% target product yield could be obtained at 190 °C, and this catalyst could be reused at least 5 times without obvious deactivation. NH3-temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and pyridine-infrared (py-IR) revealed that the catalytic performance is positively correlated with the content of medium acid sites. In-situ IR spectrum proved that the reaction follows the carbocation mechanism. This work affords a competitive system for green sustainable chemistry.