Highly efficient one-pot multi-directional selective hydrogenation and N-alkylation catalyzed by Ru/LDH under mild conditions

Atomic economy, non-toxicity, harmlessness and multidirectional selectivity advocated by green chemistry have increasingly become a hot and difficult research topic. Herein, we present a highly efficient, one-pot tandem and easy-to-operate method through which we could directly produce a broad range of multi-directional selective hydrogenated amines or N-alkyl aliphatic amines using aromatic nitro compounds as raw materials. Ru/LDH with characteristics of layered mesoporous structure, well dispersed small Ru nanoparticles and LDH stabilization to the Ru NPs was employed as the catalyst. It is remarkable that multi-directional superb chemoselectivity to aromatic amines, alicyclic amines as well as N-alkyl aliphatic amines could be achieved with excellent catalytic activity and recyclability by tuning reaction conditions over 5wt%Ru/LDH-2. Additionally, this catalytic system also exhibited attractive activity and multi-directional chemoselectivity in the hydrogenation of quinoline and its derivatives with solvents of different polarity. Chemoselectivity to 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinoline derivatives could reach as high as 95.6 %.