Selective Cleavage of Carbon-Nitrogen Bonds with Platinum

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00190a006

The selective hydrogenolysis of carbon-nitrogen bonds relative to carbon-carbon bonds with a heterogeneous platinum catalyst is studied on a wide variety of nitrogen-containing organic molecules.Nitriles, secondary and primary amines, nitro compounds, heterocycles, and aromatic amides are cleanly converted to the parent hydrocarbon and ammonia in the gas phase with a platinum on silica catalyst and hydrogen.Aliphatic amides pass the catalyst unchanged.Unusual is the high platinum content of the catalyst (40percent) which proved to be essential for the catalytic activity reported.