Productivity Leap in the Homogeneous Ruthenium-Catalyzed Alcohol Amination through Catalyst Recycling Avoiding Volatile Organic Solvents

A reactive ionic liquid was successfully applied in the homogeneous ruthenium-catalyzed alcohol amination for the first time. Through detailed investigation of the phase behavior and the application of sulfonated ligands, a biphasic system was developed, which fulfils several key points of a sustainable process. This strategy allows, without use of additional volatile organic compounds, a pure product phase to be obtained, enabling the catalyst to be used in repetitive recycling runs. Hence, the productivity of the catalyst was increased fivefold to a cumulative turnover number of more than 2500, which reflects a particularly high catalyst productivity for homogeneous ruthenium-catalyzed alcohol amination.