Hydrogenation of nitriles to primary amines with a carbon-coated Ni/NiO@C catalyst under friendly conditions†

Reusable catalysts based on non-noble metals with broad applicability for nitrile catalytic hydrogenation are key to achieving more sustainable primary amine production. Herein, a simple and efficient carbon-coated non-noble nickel-based catalyst (Ni/NiO@C-600-200-1-H₂O) was developed for the hydrogenation of aromatic substituted nitriles to aromatic substituted amines under relatively mild conditions (120 °C, 10 bar H₂, 4 h). The carbon-coated structure endows the catalyst with excellent anti-agglomeration properties, significantly enhancing its cycling stability. The catalyst exhibits high tolerance toward various functional groups, including halogen, methyl, and methoxy, achieving remarkable conversion rates (over 99%) and product selectivity (up to 98.25%). Additionally, the catalyst's magnetic properties facilitate easy recovery and reuse. When applied to a continuous flow reactor for benzonitrile hydrogenation under optimized conditions, the catalyst demonstrated a conversion rate and selectivity exceeding 99%, with continuous operation lasting up to 31 h.