One-pot synthesis of aniline N-alkylation from benzyl alcohol over Cu-Fe catalyst

Cu-Fe catalysts prepared from layered double hydroxide (LDH) precursors were applied for the straightforward N-alkylation of aniline with benzyl alcohol in base- and oxidant-free conditions. Among the bimetallic Cu-M catalysts prepared from LDH precursors, the Cu-Fe catalyst showed the most active catalysis for the direct N-alkylation of aniline with benzyl alcohol to produce 12 % benzylideneaniline and 88 % N-benzylaniline. Synergistic catalysis between the Cu and Fe species in the Cu-Fe catalyst is crucial for the catalytic cycle of the N-alkylation. In the mechanistic studies reported here, the hydrogen-borrowing approach was intensely observed using in situ fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) measurements and reaction sequence studies.