Amination of aliphatic alcohols catalyzed by CuO-NiO/γ-Al2O3

The amination of aliphatic alcohols in the gas-solid phase was investigated in a fixed-bed reactor in the presence of CuO-NiO/gamma-Al2O3 as the catalyst. This catalytic system was successfully applied for both the N-methylation of aliphatic amines and N-alkylation of piperidine with primary or secondary alcohols. N-Alkylation of piperidine with low-carbon alcohols resulted in high conversions and selectivities, and the conversion of piperidine and the selectivities toward the desired products declined gradually with the increase of the carbon number of aliphatic alcohols. The influence of varied conditions on the N-cyclohexylation of piperidine was also evaluated, including liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV), temperature and the catalyst; especially the catalyst had the greatest impact. Finally, the test of the catalyst's stability was performed.