Reductive amination of ethyl levulinate to pyrrolidones over AuPd nanoparticles at ambient hydrogen pressure

Abstract

Herein, we describe a AuPd catalyst for selective and solventless conversion of ethyl levulinate (EL) and amines to pyrrolidones under ambient pressure. The optimized Au₆₆Pd₃₄ nanoparticle catalyst was stable and reusable over 10 runs. AuPd catalysis was extended to reductive amination of levulinic acid and 4-acetylbutyric acid, providing a green chemistry approach under milder conditions not only to pyrrolidones, but also to piperidines, both of which are important scaffolds in designing polymers, natural products and pharmaceuticals.