Efficient hydrogenation of N-heteroarenes into N-heterocycles over MOF-derived CeO2 supported nickel nanoparticles

The selective hydrogenation of N-heteroarenes into N-heterocycles is a highly important organic transformation in fine chemical industry, as N-heterocycles are moieties in a variety of pharmaceutical and bioactive compounds. Here, we report highly efficient mesoporous CeO2 supported Ni catalysts prepared by the incipient wet impregnation and following high-temperature reduction for the selective hydrogenation of N-heteroarenes. The experiments indicated that the synergistic effect between CeO2 and Ni nanoparticles was responsible to the superior catalytic performance. Various kinds of N-heterocycles were obtained at 120 °C with yields of 86 ∼ >99%, demonstrating the versatility of the developed method. This work is valuable for guiding the design and manipulation of low metal loading, cost-effective and robust hydrogenation catalysts.