Convenient and Reusable Manganese-Based Nanocatalyst for Amination of Alcohols

The development of new sustainable nanocatalytic systems for green chemical synthesis is a growing area in chemical science. Herein, a reusable heterogeneous N-doped graphene-based manganese nanocatalyst (Mn@NrGO) for selective N-alkylation of amines with alcohols is described. Mechanistic studies illustrate that the catalytic reaction follows a domino dehydrogenation-condensation-hydrogenation sequence of alcohols and amines with the formation of water as the sole by-product. The scope of the reaction is extended to the synthesis of pharmaceutically important N-alkylated amine intermediates. The heterogeneous nature of the catalyst made it easy to separate for long-term performance, and the recycling study revealed that the catalyst was robust and retained its activity after several recycling experiments.

Automated summary

The development of new sustainable nanocatalytic systems for green chemical synthesis is a growing area in chemical science. A reusable heterogeneous N-doped graphene-based manganese nanocatalyst for selective N-alkylation of amines with alcohols is described. Mechanistic studies illustrate that the catalytic reaction follows a domino dehydrogenation-condensation-hydrogenation sequence of alcohols and amines with the formation of water as the sole by-product. The scope of the reaction is extended to the synthesis of pharmaceutically important N-alkylated amine intermediates, and the catalyst showed long-term performance and retained its activity after several recycling experiments.