Reusable ruthenium-based catalyst could be a game-changer for the biomass industryKnown for their ou
Reusable ruthenium-based catalyst could be a game-changer for the biomass industryKnown for their outstanding versatility, primary amines (derivatives of ammonia) are industrially important compounds used in the preparation of a wide range of dyes, detergents and medicines. Although many attempts have been made to improve their synthesis using catalysts containing nickel, palladium and platinum, for example, few have succeeded in reducing the formation of secondary and tertiary amines and other undesired by-products.Now, researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have developed a highly selective catalyst consisting of ruthenium nanoparticles supported on niobium pentoxide (Ru/Nb2O5). In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the team demonstrated that Ru/Nb2O5 is capable of producing primary amines from carbonyl compounds with ammonia (NH3) and dihydrogen (H2), with negligible formation of by-products.The study compared the extent to which different catalysts could convert furfural to furfurylamine in a process known as reductive amination1. This reaction is one of the most useful methods for producing primary amines on an industrial scale. The Ru/Nb2O5 catalyst outperformed all other types tested—remarkably, a yield of 99% was attained when ammonia was used in excess quantity.Read more. -- source link
#materials science#science#ruthenium#catalysts#biomaterials#nanoparticles#nanotechnology#amines