Bimetallic Cobalt-Rhodium Nanoparticle-Catalyzed Reductive Amination of Aldehydes with Nitroarenes Under Atmospheric Hydrogen.

A cobalt-rhodium heterobimetallic nanoparticle (Co2 Rh2 /C)-catalyzed tandem reductive amination of aldehydes with nitroaromatics to sec-amines has been developed. The tandem reaction proceeds without any additives under mild conditions (1 atm H2 and 25 °C). This procedure can be scaled up to the gram scale, and the catalyst can be reused more than six times without loss of activity.