Mo2C catalyst leads to highly efficient hydrogen transfer of alcohols and amines to synthesize N-alkylamines

Chem Commun (Camb). 2024 Nov 4. doi: 10.1039/d4cc04327h. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

We found that molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) can be applied as a novel and efficient heterogeneous catalyst for hydrogen transfer of anilines and alcohols to synthesize N-alkylamines. The results of experiments and DFT calculations demonstrate that Mo2C surface can reduce the energy barrier of the key step of alcohol dehydrogenation and generate a hydrogen spillover effect, thereby exhibiting outstanding catalytic performance.