A remarkable solvent effect on reductive amination of ketones

Abstract We report the first systematic study of solvent effect on reductive amination of ketones with ammonia and dihydrogen (H 2 ) over Ru/C, Rh/C, Pd/C and Pt/C catalysts. Protic (water, methanol, ethanol and isopropanol), aprotic polar (dioxane and tetrahydrofuran) and aprotic apolar (cyclohexane and toluene) solvents were investigated. Reaction kinetic model was built to reveal solvent-dependent reaction pathway and solvent-related rate constant for individual steps. Primary amine is produced via two distinct routes, i.e., hydrogenation of imine and hydrogenolysis of Schiff base adduct. These two routes co-exist in organic solvents, while the preference of which route to take heavily depends on the nature of the solvent. In contrast, the formation of imine and Schiff base are not favored in water, resulting in high selectivity towards alcohol. Methanol is identified as the best solvent for reductive amination of ketones, attributed to the highest rates for imine and Schiff base formation compared to other solvents, as well as high hydrogenation activity.