Aromatic C–N bond formation via simultaneous activation of C–H and N–H bonds: direct oxyamination of benzene to aniline

We developed a new method to directly synthesize aniline from benzene and aqueous ammonia with hydrogen peroxide using a Cu–TS-1 catalyst. Formation of Cu–O–Ti species on the catalyst promotes the chemical adsorption of ammonia, which contributes significantly to the enhanced performance for N–H bond activation.