Excellent Catalytic Performances of a Au/C–CuO Binary System in the Selective Oxidation of Benzylamines to Imines under Atmospheric Oxygen
Yuki Yamamoto, Miyuto Ota, Shintaro Kodama, Michio Ueshima, Akihiro Nomoto, Akiya Ogawa, Mitsunori Furuya, Kiminori Kawakami
Abstract
A green method of the oxidation of benzylamines to imines was developed using a novel binary system of Au/C–CuO. This system was evaluated under atmospheric oxygen, and the corresponding imines were obtained in up to 100% yields by loading 0.006 mol % of Au/C and 1.25 mol % of CuO under mild conditions. This system was also successfully applied to the syntheses of N-containing functional molecules, as well as that of imines on the scale of several grams. Furthermore, the turnover number of the system (more than 8000 times on a gold basis) as well as its ability to be reused more than 10 times for benzylamine oxidation demonstrates the excellent durability and recyclability of the developed system.