Graphene-supported NiPd alloy nanoparticles: A novel and highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst system for the reductive amination of aldehydes

• A novel and highly efficient heterogenous catalytic process for the reductive amination of aldehydes is developed.
• Graphene supported Ni30Pd70 alloy nanoparticles (G-Ni30Pd70) were applied as a catalyst and ammonia borane (AB) as a stable and safe hydrogen reservoir.
• The reductive amination of several benzyl amines and various benzaldehyde derivatives was achieved in good to excellent yields.
• The reaction can be performed in a green solvent (water/methanol) with low catalyst loading at ambient temperature and the catalyst is recyclable.
• The catalytic system can be applied in the reaction of chiral compounds and does not cause any racemization.

A novel and highly efficient heterogeneous catalytic reductive amination of aldehydes is described. The recently developed graphene supported NiPd alloy nanoparticle (G-NiPd) catalyst using ammonia borane (AB) as a green, stable and safe hydrogen donor was used in a water/methanol mixture (v/v = 2/3) under ambient conditions. The catalytic system was successfully applied in the reductive amination of various substituted aldehydes with amines and the corresponding products were obtained in (up to) 99% yield in 6 h. The G-NiPd catalyst could be recycled up to five times without any significant loss in the product yield.

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