Supported gold nanoparticles showed nice catalytic performance in various reactions and it has been extensively used in fine chemical synthesis. The R&D Center for Green Chemistry and Catalysis at Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics (LICP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has developed a method for the controllable preparation of nano-Au catalysts and their catalytic behavior in the synthesis of imine and amine derivatives were explored.

They have prepared a PdO@PdO–Au/SiO₂ catalyst for the oxidative imination of toluene with up to 99% yields in the absence of dehydrating agents under mild conditions. It is for the first time that the oxidative imination of toluene was realized using a heterogeneous Au–Pd bimetallic catalyst. This catalyst could be easily recovered and reused several times without deactivation. It provides a successful example to improve fine chemical synthesis with heterogeneous catalyst.

HR-TEM and HAADF-STEM images of PdO@PdO-Au/SiO₂ and catalytic imination of toluene (Image by SHI Feng et al.)

Further on, based on the development of Ag₆Mo₁₀O₃₃ catalyst for N-alkyl amine synthesis Chem. Eur. J.  (Chem. Eur. J. 2011, 17, 1021-1028), the researchers developed an efficient Au/Ag-Mo Nano-Rods heterogeneous catalyst for the tandem reaction of alcohol and nitrobenzene to generate N-alkyl amines and imines using glycerol as the hydrogen source. Good to excellent yields to N-alkyl amines and imines were achieved under mild conditions with 1 to 1 molar ratio of alcohol and nitrobenzene.

SEM and TEM images of Au/Ag-Mo Nano-Rods catalyst and one-pot synthesis of imines and amines from nitrobenzenes and alcohols (Image by SHI Feng et al.)

The work has received support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The findings have been published in Chem. Commun. (Chem. Commun., 2012, 48, 7586–7588,2012, 48, 9391–9393).

Links:

Chem. Eur. J. (Chem. Eur. J. 2011,17,1021-1028)

Chem. Commun. (Chem. Commun., 2012,48, 7586–7588)

Chem. Commun. (Chem. Commun., 2012,48, 9391–9393)

Contact

Professor SHI Feng

Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

E-mail:fshi@licp.cas.cn