Paper
NJC
1
6
It seems that the residence time is playing a key role in pressure of 50 bar. 10Pd–C is an important heterogeneous
achieving high selectivity. However, the results reveal that a catalyst from an activity (95% yield) point of view in NaH PO
balance could be struck between the hydrogen to benzonitrile base and DCM–water dual solvent at a hydrogen pressure of
2
4
3
3
ratio and the residence time.
6 bar. Pd–Al O is also a promising catalyst for the selective
2 3
Indeed, the high selectivity (B100%) towards benzylamine hydrogenation of benzonitrile to benzylamine in 2-propanol
through selective hydrogenation of benzonitrile over Cu–MgO solvent with 50% conversion and 95% selectivity of benzylamine
2
1
catalysts at 1 atmospheric pressure with a WHSV (weight hourly under 10 bar H
2
pressure. A Ni–Mo based catalyst exhibited
À1
space velocity) of 1 h is noteworthy example. The residence 100% conversion with a selectivity of 99% in methanol solvent at
3
5
s
time at 513 K (H
2 2
/BN = 7.5) is 4.44 s, where the selectivity of 41 bar H pressure. Similarly, the RANEY Ni catalyst also
benzylamine is about 70%, which is increased to 100% for the exhibited a conversion of 100% with 95% selectivity of primary
3
6
residence time of 2.29 s. From the experimental results pre- amine at a hydrogen pressure of 15 bar. In spite of the high
sented in Fig. 7 and 8, the selectivity of benzylamine is nearly activity, some of these catalysts are homogeneous, expensive,
100% with 50–60% conversion of benzonitrile at 513 K with a require additives and volatile organic solvents and high pressure
residence time of 2.29 s. In the present vapor phase catalytic operations and involve other harsh reaction conditions. Hence,
hydrogenation of benzonitrile, both reactant and products the present Cu–MgO catalyst is expected to be one of the best
reside together on the catalyst surface for a very short time alternatives from an industrial point of view.
(
o5 s), whereas in the liquid phase batch process they are
In order to study the stability of the catalyst, a time-on-stream
À1
together for hours. Due to the short contact time, the primary experiment was conducted at 513 K with a WHSV of 1 h for
amine desorbs from the catalyst surface before interacting with 20 h and found no significant loss in activity as shown in Fig. 9.
the initially formed imine. In other words, the rate of imine
hydrogenation to benzylamine is higher than the condensation
of imine and benzylamine. It is interesting to note that even in
Conclusions
the short residence time the active Cu sites are capable of
catalyzing the benzonitrile towards selective hydrogenation. The
MgO supported Cu catalysts are active not only at lower residence
times but also at lower reaction pressures (atmospheric pressure).
There are several reports regarding high primary amine selectivity
with good to excellent conversions of nitriles. For instance,
Pd–MCM-41, which exhibited superior activity with 90% con-
It can be concluded that the Cu–MgO catalysts are versatile,
inexpensive and efficient for the hydrogenation of benzonitrile
into benzylamine with nearly 100% selectivity even in the absence
of any additives in the gas-phase at 1 atmospheric pressure.
Acknowledgements
version and 91% selectivity of benzylamine at a partial pressure R. K. Marella, K. S. Koppadi and Y. Jyothi are thankful to
3
4
of H
2 2 2 3 3
and CO of 20 and 100 bar respectively. RuCl (PPh ) is Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) New Delhi,
one of the highest yielding catalysts with 98% conversion and for awarding research fellowship.
9
8% selectivity of benzylamine in toluene in 24 h under a H
2
1
5
pressure of 50 bar. [Ru(cod)methylallyl
2
]–DPPF is also one of
Notes and references
the most prominent catalysts, showing 99% conversion and 99%
selectivity in t-BuOK base and toluene solvent at a hydrogen
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Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2004; H. A.
Wittcoff, B. G. Reuben and J. S. Plotkin, Industrial Organic
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K. Weissermel and H.-J. Arpe, Industrial Organic Chemistry,
WILEY-VCH Verlag & Co. KGaA, Wenham, 2003.
2
A. A. N. Magro, G. R. Eastham and D. J. Cole-Hamilton,
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R. Kubiak, I. Prochnow and S. Doye, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed.,
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2010, 49, 2626; T. E. Muller and M. Beller, Chem. Rev., 1998,
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5
S. Gomez, J. A. Peters and T. Maschmeyer, Adv. Synth. Catal.,
002, 344, 1037.
2
P. N. Rylander, in Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial
Chemistry, ed. B. Elvers, S. Hawkins, M. Ravenscroft and
G. Shultz, VCH, Weinheim,5th edn, 1992, vol. A13, p. 493.
M. Freifelder, Practical Catalytic Hydrogenation, Wiley,
New York, 1971, p. 239.
6
7
P. N. Rylander, Catalytic Hydrogenation over Platinum Metals,
Academic Press, New York, 1976, p. 203.
Fig. 9 Time-on-stream study over 12Cu–MgO catalyst for the hydrogenation of
À1
benzonitrile at 513 K with a WHSV of 1 h
.
New J. Chem.
This journal is c The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 2013