Green and efficient synthesis of primary amine from nitrile catalyzed by Pd-Ni oxide nanocluster

Abstract

The selective hydrogenation of nitrile represents an atom-economical and reliable method to synthesize primary amine, a privileged compound in chemistry, biology, and medicine. However, this approach often displays severe selectivity issues, and additives or reducing agents are generally required to solve this problem. In this work, we aim to synthesize primary amine on a green catalytic system and probe into the catalytic mechanism of Pd-Ni interaction using benzonitrile (BN) as a model compound. The nitrile hydrogenation reaction was catalyzed by bimetallic Pd-Ni oxide nanospecies confined in Silicalite‑1 (S-1) zeolite using H2 as hydrogen donor without any additive which was environmentally friendly and economic. A 92% yield of benzylamine (BA) was achieved on the Pd0.6Ni@S-1 catalyst with a turnover number (TON) of 1667, and such BA yield was still maintained in upscaling experiment. Detailed characterizations shed light on the mechanism of the extraordinary performance of Pd-Ni oxide nanospecies on base-free nitrile hydrogenation.