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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