Selective Hydrogenation of Nitriles to Primary Amines by using a Cobalt Phosphine Catalyst

Abstract

A general procedure for the catalytic hydrogenation of nitriles to primary amines by using a non-noble metal-based system is presented. Co(acac)₃ in combination with tris[2-(dicyclohexylphosphino)ethyl]phosphine efficiently catalyzes the selective hydrogenation of a wide range of (hetero)aromatic and aliphatic nitriles to give the corresponding amines.

Keywords: cobalt; homogeneous catalysis; hydrogenation; nitrile; phosphines.