Selective Hydrogenation of DMAPN to DMAPA over Supported Ni-Cu Alloy Catalysts

TL;DR

This paper introduces a safer and more selective catalyst for producing DMAPA, a key chemical, using a Ni-Cu alloy on Al2O3, improving efficiency and reducing by-products.

Contribution

A Ni-Cu alloy catalyst on Al2O3 is developed for selective DMAPA synthesis, offering high selectivity and safety over traditional Raney nickel.

Findings

The Ni30Cu5/Al2O3 catalyst achieves complete DMAPN conversion and over 90% DMAPA selectivity under industrial conditions.

Cu incorporation in the alloy suppresses by-products through geometric and electronic effects on active sites.

An NH3/ethanol-assisted process enhances selectivity and reduces operating pressure.

Abstract

N,N-Dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine (DMAPA) is an important aliphatic diamine widely used in fine chemical manufacturing. Its industrial production traditionally relies on Raney nickel catalysts, which suffer from pyrophoric hazards and limited selectivity due to imine condensation side reactions. To address these challenges, we report an Al2O3-supported Ni-Cu alloy catalyst as an efficient alternative for the selective hydrogenation of N,N-dimethylaminopropionitrile (DMAPN). The optimized Ni30Cu5/Al2O3 catalyst achieves complete DMAPN conversion and over 90% DMAPA selectivity under industrially relevant conditions (120 °C, 2.5 MPa H2). X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analyses confirm the formation of substitutional Ni-Cu alloy nanoparticles, where Cu incorporation induces both geometric isolation of Ni ensembles and electronic modulation of surface active sites, thereby suppressing condensation-derived by-products. In addition, an NH3/ethanol-assisted process further improves selectivity while reducing autogenous operating pressure. Overall, this work demonstrates a safe and highly selective catalytic system for primary diamine synthesis, providing a practical alternative to conventional Raney Ni-based processes.

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