Environment-friendly synthesis of N-phenylpiperidine from aniline and 1,5-pentanediol over γ-Al2O3 catalyst

An efficient environment-friendly synthesis of N-phenylpiperidine was developed from aniline and 1,5-pentanediol over γ-Al2O3 catalyst under atmospheric pressure. The conversion of 1,5-pentanediol reached 97% and the selectivity for N-phenylpiperidine attained 94%. The structure of the catalyst was characterized by NH3-TPD and BET. The influences of calcination temperature of the catalyst and reaction temperature on activity and selectivity of the catalyst were investigated.