One-pot synthesis of pyrrolidone derivatives via reductive amination of levulinic acid/ester with nitriles over Pd/C catalyst

The selective reductive amination of levulinic acid (LA) into pyrrolidone derivatives is regarded as one of the most promising reactions in the fields of biomass conversion into high value-added chemicals. Herein, we report a one-pot synthesis of N-substituted-5-methyl-2-pyrrolidones by reductive amination of LA/ester with nitriles over several commercial catalysts. Among the catalysts texted, Pd/C was found to be the most efficient for the reductive amination of LA/ester with various nitriles to give high yields of pyrrolidones (up to 92%) under mild reaction conditions (80 °C, 1.6 MPa H2, tetrahydrofuran solvent). And the catalyst showed good reusability.