Efficient tandem catalytic N-alkylation of nitroarenes with alcohols via a Co/CeO2-CN catalyst derived from a tri-metallic Co-Zn-Ce coordination polymer

Abstract

A novel CeO2 supported metallic Co catalyst incorporating nitrogen doped carbon (Co/CeO2-CN-CEP) has been designed and synthesized by pyrolysis of Co-Zn-Ce coordination polymer (termed as Co-Zn-Ce-hmta CP) fabricated via a coordination evaporation pyrolysis (CEP) strategy. The prepared Co-Zn-Ce-hmta CP contained cross-bridging Zn2+ ions was selected as sacrificing template, which could decrease the size of metallic Co, enhance Co dispersity, strengthen Co-support (CeO2/CN) interaction, and generate more oxygen vacancies. All of these advantages endow developed Co/CeO2-CN-CEP catalyst with much better performance for tandem N-alkylation reaction for nitroarenes with alcohols in comparison to classic catalysts (Co/CeO2-CN-CP and Co/CeO2-CN-IWI). Moreover, the Co/CeO2-CN-CEP could be easily recycled by using a magnet for reusing five times without any loss in performance. It is anticipated that CEP strategy designed by Co-Zn-Ce-hmta CP provides a new guideline for synthesis of catalysts for other tandem catalytic reactions.