Study of the amination of fatty alcohols catalyzed by Cu−Ni catalysts

Amination of fatty alcohols by hydrogenation and dehydrogenation catalysis is one of the main commercial processes for the production of dimethylalkylamines. The key factor in this process is the preparation of catalysts with high selectivity. A study of amination catalyzed by Cu−Ni catalysts supported on CaCO3 is reported in this paper. Selectivity of the catalysts was adjustable by varying the ratio of Cu to Ni or by adding a third element (Zn or Mg). The promotion of catalyst selectivity was mainly attributable to the effect of the components on the reducibility of Ni2+ in the catalysts. Lower reducibility of Ni2− led to higher catalyst selectivity.